Internet-based method of and system for managing, distributing and serving consumer product related information to consumers in physical and electronic streams of commerce

ABSTRACT

A novel Internet-based consumer product information system and method for use in retail shopping environments, wherein each Web-enabled bar code driven consumer product information kiosk deployed therewithin embodies e-mail messaging capabilities which enable consumers to automatically save and record the URLs of CPI-related Web documents within the message field of a preformatted e-mail message that is transmitted from a retailer-operated e-mail server, to a remote e-mail address specified by the consumer within the retail shopping environment. One or more central e-mail servers are used to collect copies of e-mail documents (and records thereof) transmitted from the Web/e-mail enabled kiosks within each retail shopping environments, for consumer and demographic information analysis, compilation, and storage within RDBMSs that are made accessible to retailers and manufacturers alike for use in product marketing, sales forecasting, customer intelligence, and like operations which enable more effective marketing of consumer products and services in both physical and electronic forms of commerce.

RELATED CASES

This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 09/599,690filed Jun. 22, 2000; which is a Continuation-in-Part of copendingapplication Ser. No. 09/483,105 entitled “Internet-Based Method Of AndSystem For Managing And Serving Consumer Product Advertisements ToConsumers In Retail Stores” filed Jan. 14, 2000; copending applicationSer. No. 09/465,859 filed Dec. 17, 1999; which is a Continuation-in-Partof copending application Ser. No. 09/447,121 filed Nov. 22, 1999;copending application Ser. No. 09/441,973 filed Nov. 17, 1999; which isa Continuation-in-Part of copending application Ser. No. 09/284,917which was entered into the U.S. on Apr. 21, 1999 which is a NationalStage Entry Application from International Application No.PCT/US97/19227 filed Oct. 27, 1997, published as WIPO Publication No. WO98/19259 on May 7, 1998; as well as a Continuation-in-Part of thefollowing U.S. Applications: No. 08/736,798 filed Oct. 25, 1996, No.08/752,136 filed Nov. 19, 1996; No. 08/826,120 filed Mar. 27, 1997; No.08/854,877 filed May 12, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,173; No.08/871,815 filed Jun. 9, 1997; and No. 08/936,375 filed Sep. 24, 1997,each said Application is commonly owned by IPF, Inc., and isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if fully set forthherein.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention generally relates to a novel system and method forcollecting consumer-product related information and transmitting anddelivering the same along the consumer-product supply and demand chainusing the International Information Infrastructure (e.g. the Internet),and more particularly to a novel system and method for deliveringconsumer product related information to consumers within retailenvironments using Internet-based information servers and sales agents.

2. Brief Description of the Prior Art

Dissemination of consumer-product information between manufacturers andtheir retail trading partners must be accurate and timely. Thetraditional methods of phone calls and faxes are time consuming andresource intensive. An electronic Universal Product Code (UPC) Catalog(i.e. database system), accessible 24 hours a day, is a solution. In1988, Quick Response Services (QRS), Inc. Of Richmond, Calif.,introduced the first independent product information database, using theretail industry standard UPC numbering system. Today the QRSolutions™Catalog contains information on over 52 million products from over 1500manufacturers. The QRSolutions Catalog is a Windows-based applicationproviding a critical information flow link between the retailers and themanufacturers along the supply and demand chain.

After assigning a UPC number to each item, the manufacturer organizesand sends the data via an electronic data interchange (i.e. EDI)transmission, or a tape, to QRS, Inc. to be loaded into the UPC Catalogdatabase. Changes to the data can be made on a daily basis. Retailerswith access to a manufacturer's data can view and download the data onceit has been added or updated. Automatic update capabilities ensure themost recent UPC data will be in the EDI mailbox of each retailercustomer quickly.

The effect of a centralized database such as QRS's UPC Catalog improvesthe flow of merchandise from the manufacturer to the retailer's sellingfloor and ultimately to the consumer. With the UPC Catalog, accurate,up-to-date product information is available when the retailer needs it,eliminating weeks from the order cycle time.

In addition to the electronic UPC-based product information subsystem(i.e. UPC Catalog) described above, a number of other informationsubsystems have been developed for the purpose of providing solutions toproblems relating to electronic commerce (EC) merchandising andlogistics within the global supply chain. Such ancillary informationsubsystems include, for example: Sales, Analysis and ForecastingSubsystems for producing and providing retailers with information aboutwhat products consumers are buying; Collaborative ReplenishmentSubsystems for determining what products retailers can buy in order tosatisfy consumer demand at any given point of time; and Transportationand Logistics Information Subsystems for producing and providingretailers with information about when products purchased by them (atwholesale) will be delivered to their stores. Typically, suchinformation subsystems are connected to various value added informationnetworks in order to efficiently offer such information services toretailers on a global basis.

While the above-described information systems collectively cooperate tooptimize the process of moving raw materials into finished products andinto the hands of consumers, such information systems fail to addressthe information needs of the consumers of retail products who requireand desire product-related information prior to, as well as after, thepurchase of consumer-products. Moreover, prior art demand chainmanagement systems operate in an open-loop mode with a “break” ininformation flow cycle, disabling the manufacturers from communicatingwith the consumers in an efficient manner to satisfy consumer needs.

Presently, an enormous amount of time, money and effort is beingexpended by companies in order to advertise and sell their products andservices, and to provide product related information, product warrantyservice and the like after product purchase has taken place. Varioustypes of media for decades have been used to realize such fundamentalbusiness functions.

In recent times, there has been a number of significant developments inconnection with the global information network called the “Internet”,which has greatly influenced many companies to create multi-mediaInternet Web-sites in order to advertise, sell and maintain theirproducts and services. Examples of such developments include, forexample: the World Wide Web (WWW) based on the Hypertext Markup Language(HTML) and the Hypertext Transmission Protocol (HTTP) by TimBerners-Lee, et al. (See “World-Wide Web: The Information Universe” byTim Berners-Lee, et al; easy to use Java GUI-based Internet navigationtools, such as the Netscape® browser from Netscape Communications, Inc.,the Internet Explorer™ browser from MicroSoft Corporation and theMosaic™ browser from Spyglass Corporation; and the Virtual RealityModeling Language (VRML) by Mark Pecse. Such developments in recenttimes have made it very easy for businesses to create 2-DHypermedia-based Home Pages and 3-D VR Worlds (i.e. 3-D Web-sites) forthe purpose of projecting a desired “corporate image” and providing abackdrop for financial investment solicitation, as well as productadvertising, sales and maintenance operations.

Presently, a person desiring to acquire information about any particularproduct has a number of available search options. In particular, he orshe may attempt to directly contact the manufacturer, wholesaler orreseller by telephone, US mail, e-mail, or through the company's WorldWide Web-site (WWW), if they have one. In the event one decides toacquire product information through the seller's WWW site, he or shemust first determine the location of its WWW site (i.e. Internetaddress) which oftentimes can involve using Internet Search engines suchas Yahoo®, AltaVista™, WebCrawler™, Lycos™, Excite™, or the like. Thiscan be a very time consuming process and can sometimes lead to a deadend. Once the Internet address is obtained, one must then review thehome page of the company's Web-site in order to find where informationabout a particular product resides on the Website, if it so exists. Thissearch process can be both time consuming and expensive (in terms ofInternet time) and may not turn up desired information on the product ofinterest.

In some instances, product brochures bear a preprinted Internet addressdesigned to direct or point prospective customers to a particularWeb-site where more detailed product information can be found. A recentexample of this “preprinted Web Address” pointing technique is the 1996product brochure published by the Sony Corporation for its Sony® PCV-70Personal Computer, which refers prospective customers to the Sony WebAddress “http://www.sony.com/pc”. While this approach provides a directway of finding product related information on the Internet, it is notwithout its shortcomings and drawbacks.

In particular, when a company improves, changes or modifies an existingWeb-site which publishes product and/or service advertisements andrelated information, it is difficult (if not impossible) not to changethe Internet locations (e.g. Web addresses) at which such product and/orservice advertisements and related information appear. Whenever acompany decides or is forced to change any of its advertising, marketingand/or public relations firms, there is a substantial likelihood thatnew Web-sites will be created and launched for particular products andservices, and that the Web addresses of such new Web-sites will nolonger correspond with the Web addresses on preprinted product brochurescurrently in circulation at the time. This can result in pointing aconsumer to erroneous or vacant Web-sites, that present either old orotherwise outdated product and/or service information, possiblyadversely influencing the consumer's purchasing decision.

Moreover, when a company launches a new Web-site as part of a newadvertising and marketing campaign for a particular product, anypreprinted advertising or marketing material relating to such productswill not reflect the new Web-site addresses which the campaign ispromoting. This fact about preprinted advertising media renders itdifficult to unify new and old advertising media currently incirculation into an advertising and marketing campaign having a coherenttheme. In short, the inherently static nature of the “preprinted Webaddress” pointing technique described above is wholly incapable ofadjusting to the dynamic needs of advertising, marketing and publicrelations firms alike.

Recently, two different methods have been proposed for providing productinformation to consumers over the Internet.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,193 to Wellner discloses a system and method foraccessing and displaying Web-based consumer product related informationto consumers using a Internet-enabled computer system, whereby inresponse to reading a URL-encoded bar code symbol on or associated witha product, the information resource specified by the URL isautomatically accessed and displayed on the Internet-enabled computersystem. While this system and method enables access of consumer productinformation related information resources on the WWW by readingURL-encoded bar code symbols, it requires that custom URL-encoded barcode symbols be created and applied to each and every consumer productin the stream of commerce.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,773 to Hudetz, et al discloses a solution to theproblem presented by the system and method of U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,193,by proposing the use of a UPC/URL database in order to translate UPCnumbers read from consumer products by a bar code scanner, into the URLsof published information resources on the WWW relating to theUPC-labeled consumer product.

Like U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,773 to Hudetz, et al, WIPO Publication No. WO98/03923 discloses the use of a UPC/URL database in order to translateUPC numbers read from consumer products by a bar code scanner, into theURLs of published information resources on the WWW relating to theUPC-labeled consumer product.

While U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,773 and WIPO Publication No. WO 98/03923 bothprovide an effective solution to the problem presented by U.S. Pat. No.5,640,193, these prior art references completely fail to recognize orotherwise address the myriad of problems relating to UPC/URL-linkcollection, management, delivery, access and display along the retailsupply and demand chain, which must be first solved in order deliver atechnically feasible, globally-extensive, UPC-driven consumer productinformation system for the benefit of consumers worldwide.

Thus, it is clear that there is great need in the art for an improvedInternet-based method of and system for delivering product relatedinformation to the consumers along the entire retail supply and demandchain, while avoiding the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior artsystems and methodologies.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide anovel method and apparatus for collecting product-related informationand transmitting and delivering the same between the manufacturers andretailers of products to the consumers thereof in retail shoppingenvironments as well as at home, work and on the road, while overcomingthe shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art systems and methodologies.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such apparatus inthe form of a novel consumer-product information collection,transmission and delivery system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system withan Internet-based product information database subsystem which, for eachcommercially available consumer-product, stores a number of informationelements including: the name of the manufacturer; the Universal ProductCode (UPC) assigned to the product by the manufacturer; one or more URLsspecifying the location of information resources (e.g. Web-pages) on theInternet relating to the UPC-labeled consumer-product; and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, inwhich the URLs stored in the Internet-based product information databaseare categorically arranged and displayed according to specific types ofproduct information (e.g., product specifications and operation manuals;product wholesalers and retailers; product advertisements andpromotions; product endorsements; product updates and reviews; productwarranty/servicing; related or complementary products; productincentives including rebates, discounts and/or coupons; etc.) thatrelate to the kind of information required, desired or otherwise soughtby consumers, wholesalers, retailers and/or trading partners; productprices at which the products are being offered for sale by a particularretailer; and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein the information maintained within the Internet-based productinformation database management subsystem provides amanufacturer-defined consumer-product directory that can be used byvarious persons along the retail supply and demand chain.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein the manufacturers of consumer-products are linked to theretailers thereof in the middle of the supply and demand chain byallowing either trading partner to access to consumer-productinformation from the Internet-based product information databasevirtually 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein consumer-product manufacturers, their advertisers, distributorsand retailers are linked to the consumers of such products at the end ofthe supply and demand chain, by allowing such parties access toconsumer-product information from the Internet-based product informationdatabase subsystem virtually 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod of using the same, which will accelerate the acceptance ofelectronic commerce on the Internet and the development of theelectronic marketplace, which can be used by consumers and small andlarge businesses alike.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel system andmethod for finding and serving consumer-product related information onthe Internet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein virtually any type of product can be registered with thesystem by symbolically linking or relating (i) its preassigned UniversalProduct Number (e.g. UPC or EAN number) or at least the ManufactureIdentification Number (MIN) portion thereof with (ii) the UniformResource Locators (URLs) of one or more information resources on theInternet (e.g. the home page of the manufacturer's Web-site) related tosuch products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod wherein a Web-based document transport subsystem is provided foruse by manufacturers as well as their advertisers and agents inregistering the UPNs (e.g. UPC numbers) of their products and the URLsof the information resources related to such products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system witha number of different modes of operation, namely: a Manufacturer/ProductRegistration Mode, wherein manufacturers can register their companiesand consumer products (e.g. UPC numbers and URLs) with the system; anUPN-Directed Information Access Mode, wherein consumers can access anddisplay information menus containing UPC numbers linked to URLs pointingWeb pages containing consumer product related information by scanningthe UPC label on the consumer product or by entering the UPC numberthereof into a data-entry screen displayed by the system in this mode; aManufacturer Website Search Mode, wherein the home page of amanufacturer's Web-site can be automatically accessed and displayed byscanning the UPC label on any consumer product of the manufacturer or byentering the UPC number thereof into a data-entry screen displayed bythe system in this mode; a Trademark-Directed Search Mode enablingconsumers to use trademarks and/or tradenames associated with consumerproducts to search for consumer-product related information registeredwithin the system; and a Product-Description Directed Search Modeenabling consumers to use product descriptors associated with particularconsumer products to search for consumer-product related informationregistered within the system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein when the system is in its UPN-Directed Information Menu AccessMode, a predesignated information resource (e.g. advertisement, productinformation, etc.) pertaining to any commercial product registered withthe system can be automatically accessed from the Internet and displayedfrom the Internet browser by simply entering the registered product'sUPN into the Internet browser manually or by bar code symbol scanning.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein when the system is in its Trademark-Directed Search Mode, apredesignated information resource (e.g. advertisement, productinformation, etc.) pertaining to any commercial product registered withthe system can be automatically accessed from the Internet and displayedfrom the Internet browser by simply entering the registered product'strademark(s) and/or associated company name into the Internet browser.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein when the system is in its Product-Description-Directed SearchMode, a predesignated information resource (e.g. advertisement, productinformation, etc.) pertaining to any commercial product registered withthe system can be automatically accessed from the Internet and displayedfrom the Internet browser by simply entering the registered product'sproduct description into the Internet browser.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system,wherein a predesignated information resource pertaining to anycommercial product having been assigned a Universal Product Number (UPN)can be accessed from the Internet and displayed from the Internetbrowser by simply selecting its and then entering the UPN numeric stringinto an Input Box which pops up on an HTML form displayed by an Internetbrowser.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system inwhich a relational database, referred to as “an Internet ProductDirectory (IPD),” is realized on one or more data-synchronized IPDServers for the purpose of registering product related information,namely: (i) information representative of commercial productdescriptions, the trademarks used in connection therewith, the companynames providing and/or promoting such products, the E-mail addresses ofsuch companies, and the corresponding URLs on the Internet specifyingcurrent (i.e. up-to-date) Internet Web-site locations providingproduct-related information customized to such products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a productinformation finding and serving system, wherein the URLs symbolicallylinked to each registered product in the IPD Servers thereof arecategorized as relating primarily to Product Advertisements, ProductSpecifications, Product Updates, Product Distributors, ProductWarranty/Servicing, and/or Product Incentives (e.g. rebates, discountsand/or coupons), and that such URL categories are graphically displayedto the requester by way of easy-to-read display screens during URLselection and Web-site connection.

A further object of the present invention is to provide anInternet-based System wherein: (1) manufacturers and their agents areenabled to simply link (i.e. relate), manage and update within acentralized database, the UPC (and/or UPC/EAN) numbers on their productsand the Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) of HTTP-encoded document (i.e.Web pages) containing particular kinds of consumer product-relatedinformation published on the Internet by the manufacturers, their agentsand/or third parties; and (2) consumers, in retail stores, at home, inthe office and on the road, are enabled to simply access such consumerproduct-related information using such UPC (and/or UPC/EAN) numbersand/or by scanning UPC (or UPC/EAN) bar code symbols encoded with suchproduct identification numbers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method ofcarrying out electronic-type commercial transactions involving thepurchase of products which are advertised on the Internet at uniformresource locations (URLs) that are registered with the IPI system of thepresent invention.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel system andmethod of finding the UPN or USN associated with any particularregistered product, respectively, by simply selecting a Java GUI buttonon the Internet browser display screen in order to enter a“Trademark-Directed Search Mode”, whereby (i) a dialogue box isdisplayed on the display screen requesting any known trademarksassociated with the product, and/or the name of the company that makes,sells or distributes the particular product, and (ii) the correspondingUPN (i.e. UPC number or EAN number) registered with the IPD Servers isdisplayed to the user for acceptance, whereupon the Internet UniformResource Locators (URLs) are automatically accessed from the IPD Serversand displayed on the display screen of the Internet browser forsubsequent URL selection and Web-site connection.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein during the Trademark-Directed Search Mode, the UPN (e.g.UPC or EAN number) associated with any registered product can be foundwithin the database of the IPD Server using any trademark(s) and/or thecompany name commonly associated with the product.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel system andmethod for serving consumer-product related information to Internetusers in retail shopping environments (e.g. department stores,supermarkets, superstores, home-centers and the like) as well as athome, work or on the road.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a consumer productinformation access terminal located at a point-of-sale (POS) station,wherein the bar code symbol reader integrated with the POS station canbe used to read the UPC numbers on consumer products being offered forsale in the store in order to access consumer product relatedinformation from hyper-linked Web-sites on the Internet, for display onan LCD screen located at the POS station and viewable from variouspositions by the sales clerk as well as consumer shoppers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system andmethod, wherein one or more computer-based kiosks are installed withinretail shopping environments and each such kiosk has an automatic barcode symbol reader for reading the UPC numbers on consumer productsbeing offered for sale in the store, and also an LCD touch-type displayscreen for displaying product-related information accessed fromhyper-linked Web-sites on the Internet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein one or more computer-based kiosks are installed withinretail shopping environments and each such kiosk has an automatic barcode symbol reader for reading the UPC numbers on consumer productsbeing offered for sale in the store, and also a LCD touch-type displayscreen for displaying product-related information accessed fromhyper-linked Web-sites on the Internet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a consumerproduct information kiosk, wherein the laser scanning bar code symbolreader can be easily removed from its support stand to scan largeconsumer products that might be difficult to present within the scanningfield while the bar code symbol reader is supported above the LCDdisplay panel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a consumerproduct information kiosk, wherein the laser scanning bar code symbolreader has a cordless interface with the kiosk so that it may be movedabout within a retail store in a portable manner to scan UPC labels andaccess consumer product related information.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a consumer productinformation kiosk for use with the system hereof, that is completelytransportable within the store by hand, or may be mounted upon ashopping cart or other vehicle for the convenience of shoppers and thelike.

Another object of the present invention is to provide “virtual” or“Cyber” sales and service agents within retail shopping environments byinstalling the computer-based kiosks of the present invention therein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a Web-basedinformation delivery system and method, wherein the computer-basedkiosks employed throughout the hosting retailer's store are capable ofdisplaying the price of products offered for sale in the store uponreading the UPC bar code symbol thereon.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method ofconstructing a relational database for use within the productinformation finding and serving subsystem of the present invention.

Another method of the present invention is to provide such a method ofdatabase construction, wherein the relational database is initially“seeded” with: (i) the Manufacturer Base UPC Numbers based on the sixdigit UPC Manufacturer Identification Numbers (MIN) assigned to themanufacturers by the UCC and incorporated into the first six charactersof each UPC number applied to the products thereof; and (ii) the URLs ofthe Web-site home pages of such manufacturers.

Another method of the present invention is to provide such a method ofdatabase construction, wherein the “seeded” relational database is thensubsequently extended and refined with the participation of eachregistered manufacturer (and/or agents thereof) by adding to the“seeded” database (iii) the 12 digit UPC numbers assigned to eachproduct sold thereby and the menu of URLs symbolically linked to eachsuch corresponding product.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, in which Web-site-based advertising campaigns can be changed,modified and/or transformed in virtually any way imaginable by simplyrestructuring the symbolic links between the products and/or services inthe campaign using current (i.e. up-to-date) Web-site addresses at whichWeb-site advertisements and information sources related thereto arelocated on the Internet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel system andmethod of automatically soliciting companies to register their productswithin the databases of such IPD Servers in order that product relatedinformation of a multimedia nature (e.g. Web-sites), once registeredtherewith, can be easily found on the Internet by anyone using thesystem and method of the present invention.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel system andmethod for finding and serving consumer-product related information onthe Internet, accessible from the Websites of each manufacturer who hasregistered its UPN/URLs with the system's “central” IPD Database.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein as part of the consumer product registration process,the manufacturer (or retailer) maintains a limited-version of theUPN/URL database which contains a list of categorized URLs for eachUPC-encoded product that it sells.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein the consumer product related information links containedwithin the limited-version of the UPN/URL Database of each registeredmanufacturer (or retailer) can be accessed from the manufacturer's (orretailer's) company Website and served to consumers requesting suchinformation by way of UPC (or EAN) number entry.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein input HTML forms for searching the limited-version ofthe UPN/URL Database of each registered manufacturer (or retailer) canbe accessed by selecting a predesignated Check Button on the Java GUI toa Website providing access thereto.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein the limited-version of the UPN/URL Database of eachregistered manufacturer (or retailer) is used to update a “central” or“master” UPN/URL Database which is continuously maintained and madeaccessible to consumers (i) through Web-based kiosks installed inlicensed retail environments and (ii) through Internet-enabled clientsubsystems located at home, work and school.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein at the time of registering each manufacturer (orretailer) with the system, an Internet-based registration serverautomatically transmits a computer program to the manufacturer's (orretailer's) computer system for use in constructing and maintaining thelimited-version UPN/URL Database related to the manufacturer's(retailer's) products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein the limited-version UPN/URL Database of each registeredmanufacturer (or retailer) can be served from the manufacturer's (orretailer's) Internet information server using a Common Gateway Interfaceprogram (CGI).

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system andmethod, wherein the limited-version UPN/URL database of each registeredmanufacturer (or retailer) is realized using a cross-platformcompatible, relational database management system (RDBMS).

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method ofand system for accessing consumer product related information at pointswithin HTML-encoded documents, at which Universal Product Number (UPN)encoded Java Applets are embedded so as to produce, when executed, aconsumer product information display enabling (“CPID-enabling”)Java-based graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for the convenience ofconsumers shopping at electronic-commerce (EC) enabled stores,considering the placement of bids at on-line auction sites, or browsingproduct advertisements appearing on the World Wide Web.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an Internet-basedconsumer product information collection, managing and delivery systemand method, wherein for each consumer product registered within theUPN/URL database of the system, there is created and stored, aninteractive consumer product information request (CPIR) enabling Applet(e.g. based on Java™ component principles or MicroSoft's Active-Xtechnology) which, when executed upon the initiation of the consumerthrough a mouse-clicking operation, automatically causes a preassignedCPID-enabling Java GUI to be displayed at the consumer's point ofpresence in Cyberspace, revealing the results of a consumer productinformation display conducted upon the product identified by the UPNencoded within the executed Applet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such anInternet-based consumer product information collection, managing anddelivery system and method, wherein (1) the UPN assigned to a particularconsumer product by the manufacturer and (2) the URL of the Java scriptrunning on the IPD server of the system are encoded within theCPIR-enabling Applet so that, upon execution of the Applet, a consumerproduct information display (CPID) Java GUI is automatically producedfor the consumer's convenience.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an Internet-basedconsumer product information collection, managing and delivery systemand method, wherein the CPID-enabling Java GUI automatically displays amanufacturer-defined menu (i.e. list) of categorized URLs pointing toinformation resources on the Internet (e.g. WWW) relating to theconsumer product identified by the UPN encoded within the CPIR-enablingApplet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such anInternet-based consumer product information collection, managing anddelivery system and method, wherein CPIR-enabling Applets are created bythe system administrator, loaded within the UPN/URL database managementsubsystem thereof, distributed to retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers,advertisers and others for embedding within HTML-encoded documentsassociated with EC-enabled stores, catalogs, Internet-based productadvertisements, on-line auction sites, and other locations on the WWWwhere accurate consumer product related information is desired orrequired without leaving the point of presence on the WWW at which theconsumer resides.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such anInternet-based consumer product information collection, managing anddelivery system and method, wherein CPIR-enabling Applets are created,distributed, embedded within a HTML-encoded document related to aparticular consumer product, and subsequently executed by a consumer soas to access and display a manufacturer-defined menu (i.e. list) ofcategorized URLs pointing to product-related Web-documents.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such anInternet-based consumer product information collection, managing anddelivery system and method, wherein the consumer initiating theexecution of a particular CPIR-enabling Applet may be anyone desiring orrequiring consumer product related information while interacting withthe communication medium provided by the Internet and its supportedtechnologies (e.g. WWW, EC, etc.). As such, the consumer may be astudent shopping at an EC-enabled (business-to-consumer) retail storefor textbooks, a retail purchasing agent shopping at an on-line(business-to-business) wholesale product catalog for product inventory,a dealer looking to purchase a new or used product listed at an on-lineauction site, or anyone encountering an Internet-based advertisementwhile surfing the WWW.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such anInternet-based consumer product information collection, managing anddelivery system and method, wherein a thumb-nail picture, arbitrarygraphical object, predesignated CPIR-indicating icon, or hypertext-typelink associated with a particular consumer product can be embeddedwithin the CPIR-enabling Applet associated therewith, so as to enablethe consumer to produce a CPID-enabling Java GUI upon encountering thesame in an HTML-encoded document on the WWW.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such anInternet-based consumer product information collection, managing anddelivery system and method, wherein licensed users can downloadCPIR-enabling Applets from the CPIR-Enabling Applet Library to anyclient computer for eventual insertion within the HTML code of aparticular Web-document to be published on the Internet in accordancewith the licensing arrangement between the contracting parties. Suchend-use applications might be in EC-enabled retail product catalogs,EC-enabled wholesale/trade catalogs, Internet-based productadvertisements, on-line auction WWW sites, on-line stock trading WWWsites, and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such anInternet-based consumer product information collection, managing anddelivery system and method, wherein the CPID-enabling Java GUIs enabledby executed CPIR-enabling Applets can function as CPI-serving“cyber-kiosks” that can be installed at any location in Cyberspace forthe convenience of consumers residing therewithin without disturbingtheir point of presence.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method ofand system for delivering consumer product advertisements and consumerproduct related information to consumers over the WWW involving the useof a single mouse-clicking operation by the consumer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method ofand system for embedding CPIR-enabling Applets within HTML-encodedconsumer product advertisements published over the WWW involving the useof a single mouse-clicking operation by the consumer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method ofand system for delivering consumer product related information toconsumers at on-line auction sites on the WWW involving the use of asingle mouse-clicking operation by the consumer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method ofand system for embedding CPIR-enabling Applets within HTML-encodedon-line auction pages published over the WWW.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method ofand system for embedding CPIR-enabling Applets within HTML-encodedsecurities performance charts published at on-line electronic securitiestrading site on the WWW.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new method ofand system for purchasing a consumer product over the Internet (e.g.WWW) comprising the steps of: embedding a UPN-encoded CPIR-enablingApplet within the HTML-code of a consumer product advertisement, whereinthe CPIR-enabling Applet when executed displays a categorized URL menucontaining one or more URLs pointing to one or more EC-enabled stores oron-line catalogs on the WWW at which the consumer product identified bythe encoded UPN can be purchased and delivered to a particular addressin physical space.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelcyber-kiosk, launchable from predefined points of presence within anEC-enabled store, on-line product catalog or other type of WWW site, forenabling consumers (including retail purchasing agents) to quicklyaccess and display at the predefined point of presence, an interactivemenu of categorized URLs pointing to consumer product relatedinformation resources published on the WWW and symbolically linked tothe UPNs of consumer products within a centralized UPN/URL databasemanagement subsystem, by manufacturers and/or their agents.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel EC-enabledproduct catalog having a library of CPIR-enabling Applets embeddablewithin graphical images of consumer products in HTML-encoded documentsand enabling, when executed, a UPN-directed search within the UPN/URLdatabase management subsystem and the display of an interactive menu ofcategorized URLs pointing to consumer product related informationresources published on the WWW and symbolically linked to the UPNs ofconsumer products within a centralized UPN/URL database managementsubsystem, by manufacturers and/or their agents.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelInternet-based electronic commerce (EC) enabled shopping systemcomprising an Internet information server connected to theinfrastructure of the Internet and supporting the hypertext transmissionprotocol (http), a Web-enabled client subsystem connected to theinfrastructure of the Internet, an EC-enabled WWW site comprising aplurality of interlinked HTML-encoded documents arranged and rendered toprovide an electronic store environment when served to a consumeroperating the Web-enabled client subsystem, wherein the electronic storeenvironment presents a plurality of products for purchase and sale by anEC-enabled payment method supported over the Internet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such anInternet-based electronic commerce (EC) enabled shopping system, whereina Java Applet tag, associated with each product, is embedded within atleast one of the HTML-encoded documents displayed on the Web-enabledclient subsystem, and each Java Applet tag is associated with a JavaApplet encoded with the universal product number (UPN) assigned to oneof the products, and, when the consumer selects one of the Java Applettags, the associated Java Applet is automatically executed enabling asearch to be conducted against a product information database hosted onan Internet database server connected to the Internet, from which theresults of the UPN-specified search are automatically displayed in a GUIserved to the Web-enabled client subsystem.

Another object of the present invention is to provide client-side andserver CPIR-enabling Java Applets for enabling the consumer productinformation searches at virtually any consumer point of presence on theWWW by performing a single mouse-clicking operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelInternet-based system and method, wherein a plurality ofpublisher-operated client subsystems (i.e. manufacturer-operated clientsubsystems) are connected to a local or wide area TCP/IP-based network,for the purpose of enabling different departments within the publishingorganization (e.g. advertising, world news, business, technology,sports, finance, education, arts and leisure, etc.) manage differenttypes of UPN/URL links based on the type of information contained withinthe URL-specified information resource on the WWW.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelInternet-based system and method, wherein each publisher is providedwith a computer-based publishing system, which enables the electroniclayout of: (i) a Web-based publication (e.g. expressible in HTML or SGMLcode) having different content and advertising sections associated witheach Web-page thereof and each such Web-page being located on the WWW ata particular URL; and (ii) a print-media based publication (e.g.expressible in a desired font) having different content sections andadvertising sections associated with each printed-page thereof, whereineach such content section and advertising section is assigned aUniversal Product Number (UPN) which is symbolically linked to aparticular content or advertising section on the corresponding Web-page.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelInternet-based system and method, wherein the computer-based publishingsubsystem is capable of automatically generating UPN/URL data linktables listing the URLs of each Web page symbolically linked to UPNassigned to a corresponding printed media page, and that such UPN/URLdata link tables are transportable to a UPN/URL database managementsubsystem using electronic data interchange techniques, thereby enablingconsumers (e.g. readers) to link from print-media to correspondingWeb-based media using the UPNs printed on documents and the like onlymoments after the Web and print publications have been approved forpublishing and sent to a http server and printing press, respectively.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelInternet-based consumer product information system and method for use inretail shopping environments, wherein each Web-enabled bar code drivenconsumer product information kiosk deployed therewithin embodies e-mailmessaging capabilities which enable consumers to automatically save andlink CPI-related Web documents as individual attachments to apreformatted e-mail message that is transmitted from a retailer-operatede-mail server, to a remote e-mail address specified by the consumerwithin the retail shopping environment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelInternet-based consumer product information system and method for use inretail shopping environments, wherein each Web-enabled bar code drivenconsumer product information kiosk deployed therewithin embodies e-mailmessaging capabilities which enable consumers to automatically save andrecord the URLs of CPI-related Web documents within the message field ofa preformatted e-mail message that is transmitted from aretailer-operated e-mail server, to a remote e-mail address specified bythe consumer within the retail shopping environment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such novelInternet-based consumer product information system and method for use inretail shopping environments, wherein the e-mail envelope is addressedwith the consumer/shopper's home, office or like e-mail address byeither reading an e-mail address encoded within a bar code (ormagnetic-stripe) structure or manually entering the same within theaddressee field, and the stuffed e-mail envelope is transported to itsdestination by manual selection of a “send” button within the displayede-mail envelope.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a novelInternet-based consumer product information system and method, whereinone or more central e-mail servers are used to collect copies of e-maildocuments (and records thereof) transmitted from the Web/e-mail enabledkiosks within each retail shopping environments, for consumer anddemographic information analysis, compilation, and storage within RDBMSsthat are made accessible to retailers and manufacturers alike for use inproduct marketing, sales forecasting, customer intelligence, and likeoperations which enable more effective marketing of consumer productsand services in both physical and electronic forms of commerce.

Another object of the present invention is to provide each manufacturerwith a novel consumer product information catalog subsystem (RDBMS) forstoring and managing media-rich consumer product information contentrelating to each and every UPN-indexed product that the manufacturermakes, sells and/or distributes to retailers along the retail supply anddemand chain.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel consumerproduct information catalog subsystem (RDBMS) which is realizable as astandalone database application supported on one or more client machinesoperably connected to the LAN or WAN of the manufacturer's enterprise,and or as a network database information server connected to the LAN orWAN and being accessible to various consumer product informationmanagers working within the manufacturer's enterprise, and usingWeb-enabled client machines to carry out consumer product informationcontent management operations across the enterprise, most likely underthe supervision of one or more consumer product brand-managers,responsible for branding of such consumer products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel consumerproduct information catalog subsystem (RDBMS) for use within anInternet-based consumer product information management, distribution andserving system, wherein one or more computer programs (e.g. scripts) areprovided in the RDBMS for the purpose of (i) analyzing the informationfields of the RDBMS, (ii) automatically generate a set ofUPN/URL/Trademark/Product-Descriptor data links for each UPN-indexedproduct with the RDBMS, (iii) locally store each such set ofUPN/URL/Trademark/Product-Descriptor data links within the RDBMS, and(iv) ultimately electronically data transport each such set of datalinks to a UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem employed within aconsumer product information management, distribution and serving systemrealized over the Internet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide brandmanagers witha novel set of consumer product information management tools that caneasily used within the manufacturer's enterprise in a way which providesthe brandmanager with the choice of either storing the URLs of consumerproduct related information, and also the actual information filecontent thereof if such multi-media information content is within thecontrol of the manufacturer's operations, or copyable into the RDBMSunder its supervision control.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparenthereinafter and in the claims to Invention

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of how to practice the Objects of thePresent Invention, the following Detailed Description of theIllustrative Embodiments can be read in conjunction with theaccompanying Drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the various informationsubsystems provided by the consumer-product information collection,transmission and delivery system of invention along the consumer-productdemand chain, namely an Internet-based Product-Information (IPI) Findingand Serving Subsystem, a UPC-based Product-Information Subsystem (“UPCCatalog”), an Electronic Trading Information Subsystem, a Sales Analysisand Forecasting Information Subsystem, Collaborative ReplenishmentInformation Subsystem, and a Transportation and Logistics InformationSubsystem;

FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2 show a schematic diagram of the consumer-productinformation collection, transmission and delivery system of theillustrative embodiment hereof shown embedded with the infrastructure ofthe global computer communications network known as the “Internet”, andcomprising a plurality of data-synchronized Internet Product Directory(IPD) Servers connected to the infrastructure of the Internet, a UPN/URLDatabase Management Subsystem (i.e. UPN/URL Database) connected to oneor more of the IPD Servers and one or more globally-extensive electronicdata interchange (EDI) networks, a Web-based Document Server connectedto at least one of the IPD Servers and the Internet infrastructure, aWeb-based Document Administration Computer connected to the Web-basedDocument Server by way of a TCP/IP connection, a plurality ofmanufacturer-related electronic-commerce (EC) information servers forhosting EC-enabled stores or EC-enabled on-line catalogues ofmanufacturers, a plurality of retailer-related electronic-commerce (EC)information servers for hosting EC-enabled stores or EC-enabled on-linecatalogues of retailers, a plurality of Internet Product-Information(IPI) Servers connected to the infrastructure of the Internet forserving consumer-product related information to consumers in retailstores and at home, a central e-mail RDBMS for receiving and storingcopies of e-mail transmissions from retailer-store based kiosks toe-mail addresses of consumer accessing consumer product informationtherewith in retail shopping environments, a plurality of ClientSubsystems connected to the infrastructure of the Internet and allowingmanufacturers to transmit consumer-product related information to theWeb-based Document Server for collection and retransmission to the IPDServers, and a plurality of Client Subsystems connected to theinfrastructure of the Internet and allowing consumers in retail storesand at home to request and receive consumer-product related informationfrom the IPD Servers;

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of informationalong the consumer-product supply and demand chain, including (i) thecommunication link extending between the information subsystems ofmanufacturers of UPC-encoded products and the centralized (or master)UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9 of the consumer-productinformation collection, transmission and delivery system of the presentinvention, (ii) the communication link extending between the UPN/URLDatabase Management Subsystem and the IPD Servers of the presentinvention, (iii) the communication link extending between the IPDServers and in-store Client Subsystems of retailers, (iv) thecommunication link extending between the IPI Servers and the in-storeClient Subsystems of retailers, (v) the communication link extendingbetween the IPD Servers and the Client Subsystems of consumers, (vi) thecommunication link extending between the IPI Servers and the ClientSubsystems of consumers, and (vii) the communication link extendingbetween the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem and the EC-enabledUPN-based Consumer Product Catalogue Server(s) of the present inventionfor providing consumer product catalogue services to retailer purchasingagents and others and enabling the on-line purchase of consumer productsbetween trading partners (e.g. manufactures and retailers) using EDI (orXML/EDI) based business-to-business electronic commerce transactions;

FIG. 2A′ is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of informationalong the consumer-product supply and demand chain, similar to thatshown in FIG. 2A, except that as shown in FIG. 2A′, each manufacturertransmits to the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem (realized as amassive data warehouse) one or more information resource files (IRFs)which are symbolically linked to particular UPN-encoded product, andthat each IRF is then stored as a Web-based document on an Internetinformation server at predesignated URL, symbolically linked to the UPN,so that consumers can use the UPN to access a menu of URLs symbolicallylinked thereto for display of the corresponding Web-documents;

FIG. 2B 1 is a block schematic diagram of the IPD Server of the firstillustrative embodiment, showing its subsystem components namely arelational database management subsystem (RDBMS) server and a Java WebServer with Java servlet support, being accessed by a Java-enabledclient machine seeking to access consumer product related informationfrom the RDBMS server using server-side Java Applets whose HTML tags areembedded within HTML-encoded documents served to the client machine fromany one of a number of potential http information servers on theInternet;

FIG. 2B 2 is a block schematic diagram of the IPD Server of the secondillustrative embodiment, showing its subsystem components namely arelational database management subsystem (RDBMS) server and a Java WebServer with CGI script support, being accessed by a Java-enabled clientmachine seeking to access consumer product related information from theRDBMS server using client-side Java Applets whose HTML tags are embeddedwithin HTML-encoded documents served to the client machine from any oneof a number of potential http information servers on the Internet;

FIG. 2B 3 is a block schematic diagram of the IPD Server of the thirdillustrative embodiment, showing its subsystem components, namely: arelational database management subsystem (RDBMS) server and a Java WebServer being accessed by a Java-enabled client machine seeking to accessconsumer product related information from the RDBMS server using (i) asocket connection between the client machine and the Java Web server and(ii) client-side Java Applets whose HTML tags are embedded withinHTML-encoded documents served to the client machine from any one of anumber of potential http information servers on the Internet;

FIG. 2B 4 is a block schematic diagram of the IPD Server of the fourthillustrative embodiment, showing its subsystem components, namely: arelational database management subsystem (RDBMS) server and a Java WebServer being accessed by a Java-enabled client machine seeking to accessconsumer product related information from the RDBMS server using (i) aRemote Method of Invocation (RMI) and (ii) client-side Java Appletswhose HTML tags are embedded within HTML-encoded documents served to theclient machine from any one of a number of potential http informationservers on the Internet;

FIG. 2C is a schematic representation of a portion of the system shownin FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2, wherein a plurality of manufacturer-operatedclient subsystems are shown connected to a local or wide area IP-basednetwork, preferably maintained behind a secure corporate firewall, andthe secured manufacturer information network is connected to theinfrastructure of the Internet by way of an Internet router and server,for the purpose of enabling different departments within a businessorganization (e.g. marketing, sales, engineering, support and service,advertising, finance, etc.) manage different types of multi-mediaconsumer product related information, as well as theUPN/URL/trademark/product-descriptor links based on the type ofinformation contained within the URL-specified information resource onthe WWW;

FIG. 2C 1 is a schematic representation of the GUI of an exemplarycomputer operating system (OS), on which the UPN/URL data linkingfunction of the present invention is schematically depicted showing aGUI-based window associated with a content-creating application (e.g.Netscape Navigator browsing program), a GUI-based window associated witha UPN/URL link management application (e.g., MicroSoft Access or SQLRDBMS program), and the UPN/URL data link GUI displaying the UPN/URLdata links between Web documents and a set of UPN-encoded consumerproducts being managed within the UPN/URL link management application;

FIG. 2D is a schematic representation of a portion of the system shownin FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2, wherein a plurality of publisher-operated clientsubsystems (i.e. manufacturer-operated client subsystems) are shownconnected to a local or wide area IP-based network, preferablymaintained behind a secure corporate firewall, and the securedmanufacturer information network is connected to the infrastructure ofthe Internet by way of an Internet router and server, for the purpose ofenabling different departments within the publishing organization (e.g.advertising, world news, business, technology, sports, finance,education, arts and leisure, etc.) manage different types of UPN/URLlinks based on the type of information contained within theURL-specified information resource on the WWW;

FIG. 2E 1 is a schematic representation of the split-screen GUIassociated with the computer-based publishing software program of thepresent invention operated in its composition/editorial mode, and havingintegrated UPN/URL data linking functionalities, showing the layout of aWeb-based publication on the left-side of the GUI, and a print-mediabased publication on the right-side of the GUI;

FIG. 2E 2 is a schematic representation of the split-screen GUIassociated with the computer-based publishing software program of thepresent invention operated in its UPN/URL data linking mode, showing thelayout of a Web-based publication on the left-side of the GUI, and aprint-media based publication on the right-side of the GUI;

FIG. 2E 3 is a schematic representation of an exemplary UPN/URL datalink table generated during the UPN/URL data link generation mode ofoperation, and subsequently transported to the UPN/URL databasemanagement subsystem of the present invention;

FIG. 2E 4 is a schematic representation of the GUI of an exemplarycomputer operating system (OS), on which the OS-based UPN/URL datalinking function of the present invention is schematically depicted inits compositional/editorial mode, showing a GUI-based window associatedwith a first arbitrary content-creating application (e.g. NetscapeNavigator browsing program), a GUI-based window associated with a secondarbitrary content-creating application (e.g., Adobe® Illustratorgraphics program), and the UPN/URL data linking GUI enabling the authorto create UPN/URL data links between Web documents and UPN-encodedprint-documents;

FIG. 2E 5 is a schematic representation of the GUI of an exemplarycomputer operating system (OS), on which the OS-based UPN/URL datalinking function of the present invention is schematically depicted inits UPN/URL Data Linking Mode, showing a GUI-based window associatedwith a first arbitrary content-creating application (e.g. NetscapeNavigator browsing program), a GUI-based window associated with a secondarbitrary content-creating application (e.g. Adobe® Illustrator graphicsprogram), and the UPN/URL data linking GUI enabling the author to createUPN/URL data links between Web documents and UPN-encodedprint-documents;

FIG. 3A 1 is a graphical representation of a first illustrativeembodiment of the client computer system of the present invention,designed for use in desktop environments at home, work and play;

FIG. 3A 2 is a graphical representation of a second illustrativeembodiment of the client computer system of the present inventionrealized in the form of a bar code driven multi-media kiosk, designedfor use as a “virtual or Cyber sales agent” in retail shoppingenvironments, such as department stores, supermarkets, superstores,retail outlets and the like;

FIG. 3A 3 is a graphical representation of a third illustrativeembodiment of the client computer system of the present inventionrealized in the form of a bar code driven multi-media kiosk, designedfor use as a “Cyber sales agent” in retail shopping environments such asdepartment stores, supermarkets, superstores, retail outlets and thelike, and shown as having an integrated “cord-connected” type laserscanning bar code symbol reader disposed overhead its LCD touch-screenpanel, a telephone handset for carrying out telephone calls, and acredit card transaction terminal for conducting consumer purchasetransactions and other forms of electronic commerce while using theconsumer product information finding system of the present invention;

FIG. 3A 3′ is a graphical representation of the bar code drivenmulti-media kiosk shown in FIG. 3A 3, wherein the laser scanningprojection-type bar code symbol reader is removed from its supportstand, by pulling its connector cable out of its cable take-up unit, andused to read a bar code symbol on product located a relatively shortdistance away from the kiosk;

FIG. 3A 4 is a graphical representation of a fourth illustrativeembodiment of the client computer system of the present inventionrealized in the form of a bar code driven multi-media kiosk, designedfor use as a “Cyber sales agent” in retail shopping environments such asdepartment stores, supermarkets, superstores, retail outlets and thelike, and shown as having an integrated “cordless” type laser scanningbar code symbol reader disposed overhead its LCD touch-screen panel, atelephone handset for carrying out telephone calls, and a credit cardtransaction terminal for conducting consumer purchase transactions andother forms of electronic commerce while using the consumer productinformation finding system of the present invention;

FIG. 3A 4′ is a graphical representation of the bar code drivenmulti-media kiosk shown in FIG. 3A 4, wherein the laser scanningprojection-type bar code symbol reader is removed from its support standand used to read a bar code symbol on a product located a relativelyshort distance away from the kiosk;

FIG. 3A 5 is a graphical representation of a fifth illustrativeembodiment of the client computer system of the present inventionrealized in the form of a consumer product information access terminal,designed for use as a “sales agent's tool” at a point-of-sale (POS)station in retail shopping environments, wherein the information accessterminal has a bar code symbol reader integrated with the POS stationfor reading the UPC numbers on consumer products being offered for salein the store, and also a LCD screen capable of being mounted in variousviewing positions for displaying consumer product-related informationaccessed from a centralized database interconnected to the Internet;

FIG. 3A 6 is a graphical representation of a sixth illustrativeembodiment of the client computer system of the present inventionrealized in the form of a bar code driven multi-media kiosk, which iscompletely transportable within the store by the hand of a shopper forshopping convenience in retail environments such as department stores,supermarkets, superstores, retail outlets and the like;

FIG. 3A 7 is a graphical representation of a seventh illustrativeembodiment of the client computer system of the present inventionrealized in the form of a bar code driven multi-media kiosk, mountedupon a shopping cart or other vehicle for shopping convenience in retailenvironments such as department stores, supermarkets, superstores,retail outlets and the like;

FIG. 3A 8 is a schematic representation of another embodiment of thetransportable bar code driven product information access terminal of thepresent invention, realized using a Newton MessagePad 130 equipped withNethopper http client software and a Motorola RF modem PCMCIA card, forwireless access to the Internet;

FIG. 3A 9 is a schematic representation of the e-mail enabled consumerproduct information transport subsystem of the present invention,wherein each bar code driven kiosk located on a local or wide areanetwork within a retail shopping environment is provided with e-mailbased consumer product information transport mode of operation whichenables a consumer, accessing consumer product information on the WWWwithin the shopping environment, to (i) capture, save and attach thesame to an e-mail envelope which can be automatically addressable to theconsumer's home or like e-mail address in response to the consumerpresenting a bar coded (or mag-stripe encoded) customer loyalty/courtesycard to be automatically read at the kiosk, (ii) transport the envelopeto the consumer's e-mail address, and (iii) transport a copy of eachsuch e-mail transaction to a central e-mail database server for consumermarket research and related operations;

FIG. 3A 10A is a schematic representation of the illustrative embodimentof the e-mail enabled consumer product information transport subsystemof the present invention comprising a plurality of bar code drivenkiosks connected to a retail store based local wide area network, and aretailer/local e-mail server for enabling e-mail based consumer productinformation transport services on each such kiosk;

FIG. 3A 10B is a schematic representation of the IPI finding and servingsubsystem of the present invention, wherein a plurality of web/e-mailenabled kiosks are mounted to the shelving system installed within a“brick of mortar” type retail shopping environment;

FIG. 3A 10C is an elevated site view of the first web/e-mail enabledkiosk shown in FIG. 3A 10B; wherein the kiosk is arranged so that thebar code symbol reading device integrated therewith projects a laserscanning field from below the touch-type LCD screen panel thereof;

FIG. 3A 10D is an elevated side view of the second web/e-mail enablekiosk shown in FIG. 3A 10B, wherein the kiosk is arranged so that thebar code symbol reading device integrated therewith projects a laserscanning field from above the touch-type LCK screen panel thereof;

FIG. 3A 11 is a schematic representation of an exemplary relationaldatabase structure maintained within the retailer RDBMS connected to thecentral e-mail server shown in FIGS. 3A9 and 3A10A;

FIG. 3A 12 is a schematic representation of an exemplary relationaldatabase structure maintained within the manufacturer RDBMS connected tothe central e-mail server shown in FIGS. 3A9 and 3A10A;

FIGS. 3A13A through 3A13C, taken together, show a high-level flow chartfor the first illustrative embodiment of the consumer productinformation (CPI) transport method of the present invention, settingforth the steps carried out when a consumer accesses consumerinformation from Web/e-mail enabled bar code driven kiosk within aretail shopping environment, and transports the same to the e-mailaddress of the consumer at home, work or on the road;

FIG. 3A 14 is a schematic representation of an exemplary graphical userinterface (GUI) displayed on the bar code driven consumer productinformation kiosk of the present invention when the CPI transportservice of FIGS. 3A13A through 3A13C is being performed;

FIGS. 3A15A through 3A15C, taken together, show a high-level flow chartfor the second illustrative embodiment of the CPI transport method ofthe present invention, setting forth the steps carried out when aconsumer accesses consumer information from a Web/e-mail enabled barcode driven kiosk within a retail shopping environment, and transportsthe same to the e-mail address of the consumer at home, work or on theroad;

FIG. 3A 16 is a schematic representation of an exemplary graphical userinterface (GUI) displayed on the bar code driven consumer productinformation kiosk of the present invention when the CPI transportservice of FIGS. 3A15A through 3A15C is performed;

FIG. 3A 17 is a schematic representation of the consumer productpromotion/advertisement delivery subsystem of the present invention,which is integrated within the overall infrastructure of the high-levelsystem depicted in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2, and enables the management ofWeb-based consumer product advertisements created by manufacturers,agents thereof and also retailers alike, and delivery of the same toconsumers within physical retail environments using wireless Web-basedproduct promotion/advertising kiosks connected to a TCP/IP-basedinformation network installed therewithin in order to deliver suchproduct advertisements to retail shopping environments from variousInternet information servers connected to the infrastructure of theInternet;

FIG. 3A 18 is a schematic representation of the consumer productpromotion/advertisement delivery subsystem of FIG. 3A 17, wherein eachretailer-operated Web-based product promotion kiosk on the informationnetwork simultaneously displays (i) a product advertisement, (ii) apromotion message related to the advertised product and (iii) theinstructions on where to find the advertised product in the shoppingenvironment in accordance with an preprogrammed product advertisementschedule managed by the retailer or agent thereof using aretailer-operated administration computer (i.e. client machine);

FIG. 3A 19A is a schematic representation of a database of URLSassociated with consumer product advertisements that are symbolicallylinked to UPNs of consumer products offered for sale in retail shoppingenvironments and which are advertised on Web-based product promotionkiosks installed within the given retail shopping environment;

FIG. 3A 19B is a schematic representation of a database of informationresource files (IRFs) corresponding to consumer product advertisementsthat are symbolically linked to the UPNs of consumer products offeredfor sale in retail shopping environments and which are advertised onWeb-based product promotion kiosks installed within the given retailshopping environment;

FIG. 3A 19C is a schematic representation of one of the Web-basedpromotion kiosks installed within the retail shopping LAN of FIGS. 3A17and 3A18, wherein integrated CCD sensors are provided for automaticallycapturing images of scenery with the field of view of the kiosk andprocessing the same to detect the presence of human eyes glazing at thedisplay surface of the kiosk, and wherein each detected pair of eyes issymbolically linked with the UPN of the consumer product being promotedby the kiosk at the time of eye gaze detection, for subsequentcomparison with data collected at retail-based POS stations during thepurchase of UPN-labeled products within the retail store on the samedate as the promotion of the UPN-labeled product on the productpromotion kiosk;

FIG. 3A 19D is a schematic block diagram of the Web-based productpromotion kiosk schematically depicted in FIG. 3A 19C, showing thevarious subsystem and subcomponents employed therewithin whichcollectively enable the various functionalities of the kiosk;

FIG. 3A 20 is a schematic representation of an exemplary consumerproduct promotion/advertisement delivery subsystem of FIGS. 3A17 and3A18, installed within an exemplary retail shopping network, wherein theretailer-operated administration computer system can be used by retailermanagement to schedule specific product advertisements and promotionsthroughout particular retail stores;

FIG. 3A 21A is a schematic representation of an exemplary frame-workstyle browser GUI, displayed on each Web-based product promotion kioskof FIG. 3A 19C, and comprising (i) a display frame for displaying theretailer's identity/image, typically set by the retailer or agentthereof), (ii) a display frame for displaying an advertisement of aparticular UPN-labeled product registered with the subsystem, typicallyset by the product manufacturer and/or agent thereof, (iii) a displayframe for displaying a promotional message about the advertised product,typically set by the retailer, and (iv) a display frame for displayingthe location of the advertised product in the physical retail store orwithin the retailer's EC-enabled store (e.g. made accessible within theretail store), and typically set by the retailer, as shown in FIG. 3A23;

FIGS. 3A22A and 3A22B, taken collectively, set forth a flow chartdescribing the steps involved in installing and configuring the consumerproduct promotion/advertisement delivery subsystem of FIGS. 3A17 and3A18 for operation within an exemplary retail shopping environment;

FIG. 3A 23 is a schematic representation of a Product PromotionProgramming Table for an arrangement of product promotion kiosks withina particular retail store, set by a retail manager or administratorusing a Web-based client computer located within a particular retailstore or some remote location (e.g. retailer's corporate headquarter,branch sales office, etc.), so that particular Web-based productpromotion kiosks within the subsystem will display particularadvertisements and promotions in accordance with a schedule designed tomaximize sales of particular products within a particular retail store;

FIG. 3A 24 is a schematic representation of an exemplary productpromotion performance report produced by the consumer productpromotion/advertisement delivery subsystem of FIGS. 3A17 and 3A18 inorder to inform retail management how many shoppers on a given daywithin a particular retail shopping environment gazed at a particularproduct advertisement/promotion and actually purchased the advertisedproduct within the retail store, either at a physical POS station orconsumer product information kiosk therewithin (as shown in FIGS. 3A2through 3A8);

FIG. 3B is a schematic representation of an exemplary display screenproduced by a (graphical user interface) Java GUI-based web browserprogram running on a client subsystem and providing an on-screen IPDWeb-site Find Button (e.g. UPC REQUEST™ Central Website Find Button) forinstantly connecting to the IPD Web-site (e.g. UPC REQUEST™ CentralWebsite) and carrying out the consumer product information finding andserving method of the present invention;

FIG. 3C is a schematic representation of an exemplary display screenproduced by a Java GUI-based Internet browser or communication programrunning on a client subsystem and displaying a Netscape-style browser“display framework”, served from the IPD Web-site (e.g. UPC REQUEST™Central Website), and supporting or providing a sponsor frame forsponsor advertisement, a control frame with Check-Box type buttons foractivating any mode of the IPI finding and serving subsystem, and aninformation frame for displaying HTML documents (instructions, forms,and the like) in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4A 1 is a schematic representation of the relational-type IPIRegistrant Database maintained by each IPD Server configured into thesystem of the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, showingthe information fields for storing (i) the information elementsrepresentative of the UPN (e.g. UPC data structure, EAN data structure,and/or National Drug Code (NDC) data structure), URLs, trademark(s)(TM_(i)), Company Name (CN_(i)) and company address, Product Description(PD_(i)), E-Mail Address (EMA_(i)) thereof symbolically-linked (i.e.related) for a number of exemplary IPI Registrants listed (i.e.registered) with the IPI Registrant Database maintained by each IPDServer, image files for registered consumer products, and consumerproduct information request (CPIR) enabling Applets for access byretailers, wholesalers, advertisers, Web publishers, and the like, andinsertion within the HTML code of Web documents on various types ofInternet information servers hosting WWW sites, as well as EC-enabledWWW-sites, EC-enabled stores and/or on-line e-commerce productcatalogues, so that when executed, these CPIR-enabling Appletsautomatically access a categorized URL menu containing URLs (identifiedin FIG. 4A 2) specifying the location of manufacturer-linked informationresources on the Internet pertaining to a particular UPN-labeledproduct;

FIG. 4A 2 is a schematic representation of the information subfieldstructure of the URL Information Field of the IPI Database of FIG. 4A 1,showing the Product Advertisement Information Field, the ProductSpecification (Description/Operation) Information Field, the ProductUpdate Information Field, the Product Distributor/Reseller/DealerInformation Field, the Product Warranty/Servicing Information Field, theProduct Incentive Information Field thereof, the Product ReviewInformation Field, the Related Products Information Field, andMiscellaneous Information Fields detailed hereinafter;

FIG. 4B is a schematic representation of the relational-type Non-IPIRegistrant Database maintained by each IPD Server that is configuredinto the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem of the illustrativeembodiment of the present invention, showing the information fields forstoring (i) the information elements representative of the Company Name(CN_(i)) and Company Address, Trademark(s) (TM_(i)) registered by theassociated Company, E-Mail Address (EMA_(i)) thereof symbolically-linkedfor a number of exemplary Non-IPI registrants listed within the Non-IPIRegistrant Database maintained by each IPD Server, and CPIR enablingApplets for access by retailers, wholesalers, advertisers, Webpublishers, and the like, and insertion within the HTML code of Webdocuments on various types of Internet information servers hosting WWWsites, as well as EC-enabled WWW-sites, EC-enabled stores and/or on-linee-commerce product catalogues, for the purpose described above;

FIG. 4C is a schematic representation of the structure of a relationaldatabase management subsystem (RDBMS) used to carry out a best-modeembodiment of the IPI Registrant Database represented in FIGS. 4A1 and4A2 hereof;

FIG. 4C 1 is a schematic representation illustrating the informationfields of the table entitled “Manufacturer” used in the RDBMS shown inFIGS. 4A1 and 4A2 hereof,

FIG. 4C 2 is a schematic representation illustrating the informationfields of the table entitled “Consumer Product” used in the RDBMS shownin FIGS. 4A1 and 4A2 hereof;

FIG. 4C 3 is a schematic representation illustrating the informationfields of the table entitled “Information Resources on the WWW” used inthe RDBMS shown in FIGS. 4A1 and 4A2 hereof,

FIG. 4D is a schematic representation illustrating the informationfields of the table entitled “Retailer” used in the RDBMS shown in FIGS.4A1 and 4A2 hereof,

FIGS. 4E1 and 4E2, taken together, provide a high-level flow chartdescribing the steps involved in the first illustrative method ofcreating, loading, distributing, embedding, displaying, and executing“server-side” consumer product information request (CPIR) enablingApplets when using the system architecture and servlet-based search anddisplay mechanism schematically depicted in FIG. 2B 1, enablingconsumers to automatically search the RDBMS for consumer productinformation related to a particular UPN-specified product while visitingEC-enabled stores and other WWW sites without disturbing the point ofpresence of the consumer;

FIG. 4F 1 is a schematic representation illustrating the method of FIGS.4E1 and 4E2 being carried out using certain subcomponents of the systemdepicted in FIGS. 2-1, 2-2, and 2B1, in particular;

FIG. 4F 2 is a schematic representation illustrating in greater detailthe Applet-embedding step of the method of FIGS. 4E1 and 4E2, carriedout using certain subcomponents of the system depicted in FIGS. 2-1 and2-2;

FIGS. 4G1 and 4G2, taken together, provide a high-level flow chartdescribing the steps involved in the second illustrative method ofcreating, loading, distributing, embedding, displaying, and executing“client-side” consumer product information request (CPIR) enablingApplets when using the system architecture and Applet/CGI-based searchand display mechanism schematically depicted in FIG. 2B 2, enablingconsumers to automatically search the RDBMS for consumer productinformation related to a particular UPN-specified product while visitingEC-enabled stores and other WWW sites without disturbing the point ofpresence of the consumer;

FIG. 4H 1 is a schematic representation illustrating the method of FIGS.4G1 and 4G2 being carried out using certain subcomponents of the systemdepicted in FIGS. 2-1, 2-2, and 2B2, in particular;

FIG. 4H 2 is a schematic representation illustrating in greater detailthe Applet-embedding step of the method of FIGS. 4G1 and 4G2, carriedout using certain subcomponents of the system depicted in FIGS. 2-1 and2-2;

FIGS. 4I1 and 4I2, taken together, provide a high-level flow chartdescribing the steps involved in the second illustrative method ofcreating, loading, distributing, embedding, displaying, and executing“client-side” consumer product information request (CPIR) enablingApplets when using the system architecture and Applet/socket-basedsearch and display mechanism schematically depicted in FIG. 2B 3,enabling consumers to automatically search the RDBMS for consumerproduct information related to a particular UPN-specified product whilevisiting EC-enabled stores and other WWW sites without disturbing thepoint of presence of the consumer;

FIG. 4J 1 is a schematic representation illustrating the method of FIGS.4I1 and 4I2 being carried out using certain subcomponents of the systemdepicted in FIGS. 2-1, 2-2, and 2B3, in particular;

FIG. 4J 2 is a schematic representation illustrating in greater detailthe Applet-embedding step of the method of FIGS. 4I1 and 4I2, carriedout using certain subcomponents of the system depicted in FIGS. 2-1 and2-2;

FIGS. 4K1 and 4K2, taken together, provide a high-level flow chartdescribing the steps involved in the fourth illustrative method ofcreating, loading, distributing, embedding, displaying, and executing“client-side” consumer product information request (CPIR) enablingApplets when using the system architecture and Applet/RMI-based searchand display mechanism schematically depicted in FIG. 2B 4, enablingconsumers to automatically search the RDBMS for consumer productinformation related to a particular UPN-specified product while visitingEC-enabled stores and other WWW sites without disturbing the point ofpresence of the consumer;

FIG. 4L 1 is a schematic representation illustrating the method of FIGS.4K1 and 4K2 being carried out using certain subcomponents of the systemdepicted in FIGS. 2-1, 2-2, and 2B4, in particular;

FIG. 4L 2 is a schematic representation illustrating in greater detailthe Applet-embedding step of the method of FIGS. 4K1 and 4K2, carriedout using certain subcomponents of the system depicted in FIGS. 2-1 and2-2;

FIG. 4M 1 is a graphical illustration of an Internet browser displayscreen that might be displayed on a client computer subsystem hereofwhile browsing the Library of CPIR-Enabling Java Applet (HTML tags)maintained within the UPN/URL RDBMS shown in FIGS. 2-1 through 2A,wherein the user (e.g. retail purchasing agent, product catalog manager,advertising agent, or whomever) is provided with the option of viewingand downloading, for each UPN-specified product in the system, anexecutable file containing the HTML tag for either a client-side orserver-side type CPIR-enabling Java Applet associated therewith;

FIG. 4M 2 is a graphical illustration of an Internet browser displayscreen that might be displayed on a client computer subsystem hereofwhile browsing a product-specific page of an on-linebusiness-to-business consumer product catalog, wherein the user (e.g.retail purchasing agent, product catalog manager, advertising agent, orwhomever) is provided with the option of viewing and downloading, foreach UPN-specified product offered for sale in the on-line catalog, anexecutable file containing the HTML tag for either a client-side orserver-side type CPIR-enabling Java Applet associated with theUPN-specified consumer product;

FIGS. 4N1 and 4N2 set forth graphical illustrations of Internet browserdisplay screens that might be displayed on a client computer subsystemhereof while browsing a WWW information search engine or directory, suchas Yahoo, Lycos, or Excite, looking for information on the WWW relatedto a particular consumer product, and launching a CPI search enablingGUI in accordance with the principles of the present invention byclicking on the (underlying) HTML tag of either client-side orserver-side Applet embedded within the HTML code of the displayed WWWpage associated with the search engine/directory;

FIGS. 4O1 and 4O2 set forth graphical illustrations of Internet browserdisplay screens that might be displayed on a client computer subsystemhereof while shopping/browsing an EC-enabled storefront, looking forinformation on any consumer product which is carried within theretailer's EC-enabled store; and launching a CPI search enabling GUI inaccordance with the principles of the present invention by clicking onthe HTML tag of a client-side or server-side Applet embedded within theHTML code of the displayed E-store Web page;

FIGS. 4P1 and 4P2 set forth graphical illustrations of Internet browserdisplay screens that might be displayed on a client computer subsystemhereof while shopping/browsing at a particular catalog page in anEC-enabled store, considering whether or not to make an on-line purchaseof a particular consumer product displayed on the catalog page; and theninitiating a UPN-directed CPI search according to the principles of thepresent invention by clicking on the HTML tag of a UPN-encodedclient-side or server-side Applet embedded within the HTML code of thedisplayed catalog page;

FIGS. 4Q1 and 4Q2 set forth graphical illustrations of Internet browserdisplay screens that might be displayed on a client computer subsystemhereof while visiting an on-line EC-enabled auction site (e.g. athttp://www.ebay.com) when considering whether or not to place a bid on aparticular consumer product displayed within the auction listingsthereof, and then launching a CPI search enabling GUI in accordance withthe principles of the present invention by clicking on the HTML tag of aURL-encoded client-side or server-side Applet embedded within the HTMLcode of the displayed on-line auction Web page;

FIGS. 4R1 and 4R2 set forth graphical illustrations of Internet browserdisplay screens that might be displayed on a client computer subsystemhereof while shopping/browsing at a particular auction page in theEC-enabled auction site of FIGS. 4Q1 and 4Q2, considering whether or notto place at bid on a particular product up being auctioned, and theninitiating a UPN-directed CPI search according to the principles of thepresent invention by clicking on the HTML tag of a UPN-encodedclient-side or server-side Applet embedded within the HTML code of thedisplayed auction page;

FIGS. 4S1 and 4S2 set forth graphical illustrations of Internet browserdisplay screens that might be displayed on a client computer subsystemhereof while browsing a WWW page of any business, organization orongoing concern, seeing an Internet product or service advertisement ofparticular interest on the WWW page, and then initiating a UPN-directedCPI search according to the principles of the present invention byclicking on the HTML tag of a UPN-encoded client-side or server-sideApplet embedded within the HTML code of the displayed WWW page;

FIG. 4S 3 sets forth a graphical illustration of an Internet browserdisplay screen that might be displayed on a client computer subsystemhereof in automatic response to a consumer selecting a URL displayed inthe “Buy On The Web” URL category displayed on the Internet browserdisplay screen of FIG. 4S 2, thereby enabling the purchase of theadvertised product or service at an EC-enabled store or productcatalogue specified by the selected URL;

FIGS. 4T1 and 4T2 set forth graphical illustrations of Internet browserdisplay screens that might be displayed on a client computer subsystemhereof while a consumer is reviewing the performance chart of aparticular consumer product company displayed at a particular on-lineelectronic trading WWW site (e.g. http://www.etrade.com) consideringwhether or not to buy, keep or sell securities (e.g. stock or bonds) inthis consumer product company, and eventually requests specificinformation about the company's products by initiating atrademark/company name-directed CPI search according to the principlesof the present invention by clicking on the HTML tag of atrademark/company name-encoded CPIR-enabling Applet embedded within theHTML code of the displayed performance chart;

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level structure ofcommunication protocol that can be used among the client subsystemC_(a), the IPD Server S_(b), and the Web-based Document Server S_(WD)(30) of the IPI Finding And Serving Subsystem hereof when, from anyparticular client subsystem, the subsystem is engaged is inManufacturer/Product Registration Mode of operation, requesting as inputa URL which automatically connects the client subsystem to the WebDocument Server associated with the Manufacturer/Product RegistrationSubsystem of the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level structure ofa communication protocol that can be used among the client subsystemC_(a), the IPD Server S_(b), and the IPI Server S_(c) of the IPI Findingand Serving Subsystem hereof when the subsystem is in its ManufacturerWebsite Search Mode of operation, requesting as input a UPN (e.g. UPC orEAN) associated with a manufacturer's product, and providing as outputthe URL of the home page of the manufacturer's Web-site andautomatically displaying the same;

FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level structure ofa communication protocol that can be used among the client subsystemC_(a), the IPD Server S_(b), and the IPI Server S_(c) of the IPI FindingAnd Serving Subsystem hereof when the subsystem is in its UPN-DirectedInformation Access Mode of operation, requesting as input a UPNassociated with the consumer product, and providing as output the set ofURL(s) registered with the consumer product identified by the UPN withinthe database of the system and pointing to HTML-encoded documentscontaining particular types of product-related information;

FIG. 5D is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level structure ofa communication protocol that can be used among the client subsystemC_(a), the IPD Server S_(b), and the IPI Server S_(c) of the IPI FindingAnd Serving Subsystem hereof when the subsystem is in itsTrademark-Directed Search Mode of operation, requesting as input atrademark and/or company name, and providing as output the productdescriptor(s) and a UPN (or set thereof) related to the trademark withinthe database of the system and pointing to HTML-encoded documentscontaining particular types of product-related information;

FIG. 5E is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level structure ofa communication protocol that can be used among the client subsystemC_(a), the IPD Server S_(b), and the IPI Server S_(c) of the IPI FindingAnd Serving Subsystem hereof when the subsystem is in itsProduct-Description Directed Search Mode of operation, requesting asinput a product descriptor related to the consumer product on whichinformation is sought and providing as output the trademark, companyname and URL(s) related to the product descriptor within the database ofthe system and pointing to HTML-encoded documents containing particulartypes of product-related information;

FIG. 6A provides a high level flow chart illustrating the steps involvedin carrying out the communication protocol shown in FIG. 5A when the IPIFinding and Serving Subsystem is in its Manufacturer/ProductRegistration Mode of operation;

FIG. 6B provides a high level flow chart illustrating the steps involvedin carrying out the communication protocol shown in FIG. 5B when the IPIFinding and Serving Subsystem is in its Manufacturer Website Search Modeof operation;

FIG. 6C provides a high level flow chart illustrating the steps involvedin carrying out the communication protocol shown in FIG. 5D when the IPIFinding and Serving Subsystem is in its UPN-Directed Information AccessMode of operation;

FIGS. 6D1 through 6D3, taken together, provide a high level flow chartillustrating the steps involved in carrying out the communicationprotocol shown in FIG. 5C when the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem isin its Trademark-Directed Search Mode of operation;

FIG. 6E 1 through 6E3, taken together, provide a high level flow chartillustrating the steps involved in carrying out the communicationprotocol shown in FIG. 5E when the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem isin its Product-Description Directed Search Mode of operation;

FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of theIPI Finding and Delivery Subsystem of the present invention showing thevarious constituent subsystems thereof; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a portfolio of Web-sitessupported and managed by the UPN/URL database management subsystem withthe assistance of the manufacturer/product registration subsystem andWeb-enabled client subsystems operated by manufacturers and/or theiragents in accordance with the information management principles of thepresent invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring to the accompanying Drawings, like structures and elementsshown throughout the figures thereof shall be indicated with likereference numerals.

Overview of the System of the Present Invention

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the consumer-product information collection,transmission and delivery system of the present invention is generallyindicated by reference numeral 1 and comprises an integration ofinformation subsystems, namely: an IPI finding and serving subsystem 2for allowing consumers to find product related information on theInternet (e.g. WWW) at particular Uniform Resource Locators (URLs),using UPC numbers and/or trademarks and tradenames symbolically-linkedor related thereto; a Consumer Product Advertising and PromotingSubsystem 2A for advertising and promoting consumer products withinphysical retail shopping environments using Web-based product promotionkiosks, as shown in FIGS. 3A17 through 3A24; a UPC Product-InformationSubsystem (“UPC Catalog”) 3 for providing retailers with accurateup-to-date product information on numerous consumer-products offered forwholesale to retailers by manufacturers registering their productstherewith; a Electronic Trading Information Subsystem 4 for providingtrading partners (e.g. a manufacturer and a retailer) to sell andpurchase consumer goods by sending and receiving documents (e.g.purchase orders, invoices, advance slip notices, etc.) to consummatepurchase and sale transactions using either Value Added Network (VAN)based EDI transmission or Internet (e.g. HTTP, SMTP, etc.) basedelectronic document communications; a Sales Analysis and ForecastingInformation Subsystem 5 for providing retailers with information aboutwhat products consumers are currently buying at retail stores or expectto be buying in the near future; Collaborative Replenishment InformationSubsystem 6 for determining what products retailers can be buying inorder to satisfy consumer demand at any given point in time; aTransportation and Logistics Information Subsystem 7 for providingretailers with information about when ordered products (purchased byretailers at wholesale) will be delivered to the retailer's stores; andInput/Output Port Connecting Subsystems 8 for interconnecting the inputand output ports of the above-identified subsystems through theinfrastructure of the Internet and various value-added EDI networks ofglobal extent. Notably, unlike prior art supply chain managementsystems, the consumer-product information collection, transmission anddelivery system of the present invention embraces the manufacturers,retailers, and consumers of UPC-encoded products, and not simply themanufacturers and retailers thereof. As will become apparenthereinafter, this important feature of the present invention allowsmanufacturers and retailers to deliver valuable product relatedinformation to the consumers of their products, thereby increasingconsumer purchases, consumer satisfaction and consumer loyalty. Priorart supply chain management systems have no way or means of providingsuch information services to the consumers of UPC-encoded products alongthe consumer-product supply and demand chain.

As shown in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2, the consumer-product informationcollection, transmission and delivery system of FIG. 1 is realized as anarrangement of system components, namely: a central UPN/URL DatabaseManagement Subsystem 9 for storing and serving various types ofconsumer-product information to retailers, manufacturers and consumersalike (e.g., the name of the product's manufacturer; the UniversalProduct Code (UPC) or European Article Number (EAN) assigned to theproduct by the manufacturer; one or more URLs specifying the location ofinformation resources on the Internet at which particular kinds ofinformation relating to the consumer-product can be found; merchandiseclassification; style number; tradename; information specifying thesize, color and other relevant characteristics of the consumer-product,where applicable; ordering criteria; availability and booking dates,etc.); a globally-based (packet-switched) digital telecommunicationsnetwork (such as the Internet) 10 having an infrastructure includingInternet Service Providers (ISPs), Network Service Providers (NSPs),routers, telecommunication lines, channels, etc., for supportingpacket-switched type digital data telecommunications using the TCP/IPnetworking protocol well known in the art; one or more Internet ProductFinding Directory (IPD) Servers, each indicated by reference numeral 11and being connected to the Internet at strategically different locationsvia the Internet infrastructure 10 and data-synchronized with each otherin order that each such Server maintains mirrored a relational-typedatabase structure as represented in FIGS. 4A and 4B; a plurality ofInternet Product-Information (IPI) Servers, each indicated by referencenumeral 12 and being connected to the Internet via the Internetinfrastructure; a plurality of retailer-related electronic-commerce (EC)information servers 12A, each operably connected to the infrastructureof the Internet, and enabling the hosting or one or more EC-enabledstores or EC-enabled on-line catalogues (i.e. EC-enabled WWW sites)owned, operated, managed and/or leased by one or more retailers alongthe retail supply and demand chain; a plurality of manufacturer-relatedelectronic-commerce (EC) information servers 12B, each operablyconnected to the infrastructure of the Internet, and enabling thehosting or one or more EC-enabled stores or EC-enabled on-linecatalogues (i.e. EC-enabled WWW sites) owned, operated, managed and/orleased by one or more manufacturers along the retail supply and demandchain; a plurality of User (or Client) Computers, each indicated byreference numeral 13, being connected to the Internet via the Internetinfrastructure and available to consumers (C₁, C₂, C₃, . . . , C_(i));one or more data communication (i.e. EDI) networks 14, comprising datacollection nodes 15 and communication links 16, operably connected tothe centralized UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9, each ClientComputer 13 available to a Manufacturer (M₁, M₂, M₃, . . . , M_(j)) andRetailer (R₁, R₂, R₃, . . . , R_(k)) within the retail supply and demandchain; a Web-based Document Server 30 connected to at least one of theIPD Servers 11 and the Internet infrastructure, for transferringdocuments and messages to remote Client Computer Systems during theregistration of manufacturers and consumer products with the systemhereof and periodically updating product-related information with theIPD Servers 11 in an automatic manner; and a Web-based DocumentAdministration Computer 31 connected to the Web-based Document Server 30by way of a TCP/IP connection 32, for administrating the registration ofmanufacturers and products with the system, initiating the transfer ofconsumer product related information (e.g. menu of URLs) between theremote Client Computer Systems and Web-Based Document Server 30,transferring such information to the IPD Servers 11, and maintaininglocal records of such information transfers and the like. As will becomeapparent hereinafter, Web-based Document Server 30 and Web-basedDocument Administration Computer 31 provide a subsystem for (i) managingthe process of registering qualified manufacturers and their consumerproducts and related Web pages (e.g. UPC numbers and URLs), and (ii)updating the product-related information with the IPD Servers 11 in anautomatic manner to ensure accurate links between UPNs and URLs withinthe UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem. The subsystem comprising theWeb-based Document Server 30 and Web-based Document AdministrationComputer 31 shall be referred to as the Manufacturer/ProductRegistration Subsystem of the consumer product information finding anddelivery subsystem 2 and indicated by reference numeral 33 throughoutthe figure drawings hereof.

Preferably, the centralized UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9 andat least one of the IPD Servers 11 are located at a secured informationstorage/processing center 17, along with a multiprocessor (or mainframe)computer system, information servers, routers, data communication lines,disk storage devices (e.g. RAIDs), tape drives and tape-library system,uninterrupted power supplies (UPS), and other peripheral technology toprovide on-line, batch and back-up operations. However, the IPI Servers,the Client Computers and the other IPD Servers (if provided for databasemirroring purposes), typically will be located throughout the world, asthe distribution of manufacturers, retailers and consumers who areencouraged to use the system is scattered across the Planet.

In the illustrative embodiment, the Web-based Document Server 30 is aWindows NT Server running WebDox™ Server software from PremenosCorporation of Concord, Calif. The Windows NT Server can be realizedusing a suitable computer system having a Pentium® or higher CPU, 64 MBof RAM or higher, running (i) Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 or higherOperating System software from Microsoft Corporation, (ii) MicrosoftInternet Information Server 2.0 or higher from Microsoft Corporation,and (iii) Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 or higher software from MicrosoftCorporation. Also, the WebDox™ Server is provided with a dedicatedInternet connection (i.e. ISDN or better) to the Internet infrastructure10.

The EDI administration computer 31 is either a Windows 95 or Windows NTComputer system running WebDox Admin™ software from Premenos Corporationof Concord, Calif. The Windows 95 or Windows NT computer system 31 canbe realized using a suitable computer system having an Intel 486 orhigher CPU, 12 MB of RAM or higher, running Microsoft Windows 95 orWindows NT 4.0 or higher, and having a TCP/IP connection 31 to theWebDox™ Server 30.

In order to use the WebDox™ system, each remote Client Computer System13 includes either a Windows 95 or Windows NT Computer system runningWebDox Remote™ software from Premenos Corporation of Concord, Calif. TheWindows 95 or Windows NT computer system 13 can be realized using asuitable computer system having an Intel 486 or higher CPU, 16 MB of RAMor higher, and a VGA monitor or better, and running (i) MicrosoftWindows 95 or Windows NT 3.51 or higher Operating System (OS) software,and (ii) Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or higher from MicrosoftCorporation. Also, the WebDox Remote™ Server is provided with a dial-upInternet connection (i.e. 14,400 bps or better) to the Internetinfrastructure. The function of the Web-based Document Server 30,Web-based Administration System 31 and remote client subsystems 13running the Premenos® WebDox Remote™ software is to provide a Web-basedDocument Transport System for automatically transferring information(e.g. UPN/URLs) from manufacturers to the IPD Servers of the system inorder to periodically update the same. While the illustrative embodimentof this Web-based Document Transport System has been described in termsof its implementation using the WebDox™ system from Premenos, it isunderstood that other commercially available electronic documenttransport systems (e.g. COMMERCE:FORMS™ Electronic Business FormsPackage from Sterling Commerce, Inc., http://www.stercomm.com) can beused to carry out this subsystem. The operation of this Web-BasedDocument Transport System will be described in detail hereinafter withrespect to the collection and delivery of consumer product-relatedinformation to the IPDs hereof.

The major subsystem components comprising the consumer-productinformation collection, transmission and delivery system of the presentinvention will be described in greater detail below.

In the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the UPCProduct-Information Subsystem 2 is realized using the UPN/URL DatabaseManagement Subsystem 9 and data communication networks 14 shown in FIGS.2-1 and 2-2. Preferably, the product procurement services delivered bythe UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9 are provided by modifyingthe prior art QRSolutions UPC Catalog currently implemented byQuickResponse Services, Inc., so that this subsystem includes thedatabase structures (i.e. information fields and data elements) of theIPD Database Server 11 which are neither found in nor suggested by theprior art QRSolutions UPC Catalog. The structure and operation of theUPN/URL Database Management Subsystem and IPD Server of the presentinvention will be described in greater detail hereinafter. Theinformation services supported by the UPC Product-Information Subsystem3 include those provided by the prior art QRSolutions UPC Catalog, andalso a number of additional information services that can be used tocarry out Product Registration within the IPI Finding and ServingSubsystem of the present invention. These additional informationservices will be described in greater detail hereinafter with referenceto FIG. 2A.

The Electronic Trading Information Subsystem 4 is realized using theUPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9, Client Computer Systems 13 anddata communication networks 14 of the technology platform shown in FIGS.2-1 and 2-2. Preferably, the inventory procurement services delivered bythe Electronic Trading Subsystem 4 are provided by the prior artQRSolutions Econnect and Electronic Data Interchange Services currentlybeing implemented by QuickResponse Services, Inc.

Sale Analysis and Forecasting Information Subsystem 5 is realized usinginformation storage/processing center 1, Client Computer Systems 13, andthe data communication networks 14 of the enabling technology platformshown in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2. Preferably, the product inventory managementservices delivered by the Sale Analysis and Forecasting InformationSubsystem 5 are provided by the prior art QRSolutions Sale Analysis andForecasting Information Services currently being implemented byQuickResponse Services, Inc.

The Collaborative Replenishment Information Subsystem 4 is realizedusing information storage/processing center 17, Client Computer Systems13 and the data communication networks 114 of the enabling technologyplatform shown in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2. Preferably, the product inventorymanagement services delivered by the Collaborative ReplenishmentInformation Subsystem 6 are provided by the prior art QRSolutionsReplenishment Services currently being implemented by QuickResponseServices, Inc.

The Transportation and Logistics Information Subsystem 7 is realizedusing information storage/processing center 17, Client Computer Systems13, and the data communication networks 14 of the enabling technologyplatform shown in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2. Preferably, the productdistribution management services delivered by the Transportation andLogistics Information Subsystem 7 are provided by the prior artQRSolutions EDI and Logistics Management Services currently beingimplemented by QuickResponse Services, Inc.

In the illustrative embodiment of the system of the present invention,each Client Computer Subsystem 13 has a conventional Java GUI-based webbrowser program (e.g. Netscape, Internet Explorer, Mosaic, etc.) with aplug-in type module, such as CyberFinder™ navigational software byAladdin Systems, Inc., of Watsonville, Calif., that provides anon-screen graphical icon for a “IPI Web-site Find” function. Anexemplary display screen 18 produced by such a Java GUI-based webbrowser program is set forth in FIG. 3B. Alternatively, the URL of thehome page of the IPI Web-site can be recorded as a browser “bookmark”for easy recall and access through a conventional Java GUI-basedInternet browser. Once at the home page of the IPI Web-site, an Internetuser can find product-related information on the Internet in essentiallythe same way as when using the web browser program of FIG. 3B. As shown,the on-screen radio button 19 functions as an “IPI Web-site Find” Button(or Consumer Product Information Button) for instantly connecting theclient subsystem to a particular IPI Web-site (i.e. hosted on eachmirrored IPD Server) and especially adapted for carrying out the IPIfinding and serving method of the present invention. As will bedescribed in greater detail hereinafter, examples of “IPI Web-sites” caninclude, but are not limited to: (1) one or more mirrored UPC RequestCentral Web-sites from which consumer product information from allmanufacturers is available for access to consumers from predeterminedInternet domains; and (2) an UPC Request Retail Web-site, for eachretailer, wherein consumer product information associated with onlymanufacturers of products offered by the retailer is available foraccess to consumers from predetermined Internet domains within physicalretail “brick and mortar” stores and “electronic commerce enabledstores.

In general, each IPI Web-site can be sponsored by a retail storesubscribing to the consumer product information service hereof, or byone or manufacturers and/or service providers. The URL for the home pageof any particular IPI Web-site can be selected with marketingconsiderations in mind, for example, “http://www.ipf.com” or“http://www.upcrequest.com” similar in form with the URLs of otherinformation search-engines and directories currently available on theInternet. Upon selecting the IPI Web-site Find Button 19 (e.g. by aclicking of the mouse thereon shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C), the user isautomatically connected to the home-page of the IPI Web-site (hosted oneach mirrored IPD Server) which, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, supports aNetscape-style “framework”, within which web pages accessed through theIPI web-site are displayed. An excellent tutorial on “framing” entitled“The Netscape Frames Tutorial™ (2nd edition)” by Charlton D. Rose setforth at the URL: “http://www.newbie.net/frames/”, last visited byApplicant on Mar. 26, 1997.

In general, the HTML-encoded documents served from the IPD Servers 11hereof to the client subsystems 13 hereof will preferably have athree-field Netscape-style display framework which provides a unique andeffective way of satisfactorily addressing the needs of consumers,hosting retailers, manufacturers and the IPI provider(s)/publishersalike. In practice, the Netscape-style browser “framework” cansimultaneously accommodate the needs of the consumers using theparticular Client Subsystems of the present invention, as well as theneeds of the retailers who typically will host client subsystems hereofeither (1) physically within their stores, and/or (2) electronically ontheir WWW sites using Web browser framing techniques as well.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the first (top-most) display field, the sponsorframe 20A, can be used to display to the consumer, a Web page (e.g.HTML-encoded document) containing a message that the IPI Finding andServing Subsystem is being delivered to the consumer by the IPI Providerunder, for example, the sponsorship of either: (1) the hosting retailer;(2) one or more advertisers posting advertising “banners” in the displayframe 20A; or (3) the consumer himself/herself by paying a subscriptionfee or the like. Understandably, the method of sponsorship employed willvary from embodiment to embodiment of the present invention. Anexemplary message for this display screen might read, for example, asfollows:

-   “Welcome to the UPC Request™-   Consumer Product-Information Finding and Serving System-   sponsored by THE HOME DEPOT-   for your shopping convenience and pleasure.”    The height of the sponsor frame 20A need only be a small fraction of    the consumer's display screen (e.g. ¾ inches) to convey this message    to the consumers during use of the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem    of the present invention within the retailer's real (or    virtual/electronic) shopping environment.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the second (left-most) display field, the controlframe 20B, is used to display an HTML-encoded document containing a JavaGUI-based “control panel” 21 for the consumer product informationfinding and serving subsystem of the present invention. In theillustrative embodiment, this control panel 21 includes six Check Boxtype buttons, namely: a first Check Box type button 21A which, whenselected, automatically activates the Manufacturer/Product RegistrationMode of the subsystem; a second Check Box type button 21B which, whenselected, automatically activates the Manufacturer Website Search Modeof the subsystem; a third Check Box type button 21C which, whenselected, automatically activates the UPN-Directed Information AccessMode of the subsystem; a fourth Check Box type button 21D which, whenselected, automatically activates the Trademark-Directed Search Mode; afifth Check Box type button 21E which, when selected, automaticallyactivates the Product-Description Directed Search Mode of operation ofthe subsystem; and a sixth Check Box type button 21F which, whenselected, automatically activates theUPC-Encoded-Applet-Download/Distribution Mode of operation of thesubsystem. Each of these Check Box type buttons is hot-linked to aparticular HTML-encoded document residing on the IPD Server(s) 11 of thesubsystem hereof.

While the IPI Web-site of the illustrative embodiment has a frameworkcharacterized by three-display fields, namely, the sponsor frame 20A,the control frame 20B, and the information display frame 20C, it isunderstood, however, that there may be more or fewer display frames thanthat shown in FIG. 3C. Each frame will act as a separate display screenwhere variables such as web-pages, scrolling, page colors, etc., areindependently controllable.

As will become apparent hereinafter, one of the primary functions of theclient subsystems 13 hereof is to provide UPN-driven consumer productinformation (CPI) GUIs within both “physical “brick and mortar” retailstores” and “E-commerce” enabled retail stores and product catalogues.Hereinafter, UPN-driven CPI GUIs provided within physical retailshopping environments will be referred to as “physical” or“physically-based” UPN-driven CPI kiosks, whereas UPN-driven CPI GUIsprovided within E-commerce enabled retail shopping environments will bereferred to as “cyber” UPN-driven CPI kiosks, despite the fact thatthese devices may provide the substantially the same type of consumerproduct information services to consumers, retailers and manufacturersalong the retail supply and demand chain.

Physically-based UPN-driven CPI consumer product information kiosks willhave great utility in physical retail shopping environments. However,such subsystems will be of little value to consumers browsing theInternet and shopping at EC-enabled WWW sites, unless they are locatedin “brick and mortar” type retail stores wherein consumers are providedwith the option of shopping and conducting e-commerce transactionstherein for all or selected items of merchandise offered for sale by theretailer. Moreover, when shopping in any particular retailer'sEC-oriented store, however realized, it is also understood that greatefforts must be undertaken to ensure that the shopper does not leave theEC-oriented store prior to making a purchase at the checkout page of theEC-oriented WWW site. Requiring, prompting or otherwise encouraging ashopper to link over to the IPD WWW site hereof (e.g. hosted on the IPDinformation server) for desired consumer product related informationoftentimes presents a great risk that the shopper will not return to theEC-oriented store, at which he or she was once visiting, but rather willvisit another EC-oriented store to make the product purchase.

The above limitations of physically-based consumer product informationkiosks and the risks associated with consumer behavior while shopping onthe Internet are overcome by the UPN-based cyber kiosks of the presentinvention. The primary function of UPN-based cyber CPI kiosks is toprovide consumers with a simple and effective way of and means forproducing UPN-driven CPI graphical user interfaces (GUIs) at theconsumer's point of presence (POP) which may exist, for example, when:(i) shopping at EC-enabled stores, product catalogs and other types ofEC-oriented WWW sites; (ii) reviewing and responding to Internet-basedproduct advertisements (including Web-based discount coupons and thelike) published at selected sections of Web-documents served fromdiverse types of WWW sites hosted on the millions of Internetinformation servers connected to the infrastructure of the Internet;and/or (iii) encountering a Web-document addressing a particularconsumer product under review, analysis or other form of observationwhere accurate consumer product related information is desired orrequired by the consumer, whomever they might be. The details ofproducing UPN-enabled CPI GUIs in both physical and cyber retailenvironments will be described hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 1, each synchronized IPD Server 11 is interfaced withan ISP 10A in a conventional manner. The actual number of IPD Servers 11used in any particular application will depend on various factorsincluding, for example, user demand, Internet traffic conditions,network router capacity and performance, etc. Each such IPD Server 11 isassigned a static IP address and a common domain name on the Internetaccording to the Domain Name System (DNS) well known in the art. Datasynchronization among such databases can be achieved using conventionaldata synchronization techniques well known in the art. In addition, abackup and mirroring program can be used to maintain data security.Preferably, the synchronized IPD Servers are maintained by a team ofnetwork managers under the supervision of one or more webmasters.

As shown in FIGS. 2B 1 through 2B4, using presently known technologyavailable for use on the WWW, there are at least four different ways ofconfiguring IPD Server 11 and back-end UPN/URL Database ManagementSubsystem 9 of the illustrative embodiment. These four differentsubsystem architectures are schematically depicted in FIGS. 2B 1 through2B4.

In the system architectures shown in FIGS. 2B2 through 2B4, client-sideApplets (“Applets”), having their <APPLET> HTML tags embedded withinHTML documents (e.g. using the HTML 3.2 Specification), are executedwith Java-enabled browsers on the client-side of the informationnetwork. In the system architecture set forth in FIG. 2B 1, server-sideApplets (“Servlets”), having their <SERVLET> HTML tags embedded withinHTML documents (e.g. the HTML 3.2 Specification), are executed withinJava-enabled Web servers on the server-side of the information network.Collectively, client-side Applets and server-side Applets shall bereferred to as “Applets”, wherein the major distinction between thesetwo types is based on where the Applet is executed on the network (i.e.client-side or server side).

In each of these four system architectures, the IPD Server 11 performs anumber of basic functions, for example: (1) serving HTML-encodeddocuments associated with IPD Web-sites (e.g. UPC Request Central WWWsite, UPC Request Retail WWW sites, etc.) to client subsystems 13 on theInternet so as to enable the six primary modes of operation of theconsumer product information finding and delivery subsystem hereofincluding, but not limited to, access to consumer product relatedinformation stored within the IPI and Non-IPI Registrant Databases onthe UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9; as well as (2) servingLibraries of executable files containing “UPN-enabled Java Applet tags”for client-side Applets as well as server-side Applets a/k/a “Servlets”,so as to enable retailers, manufacturers, advertisers, et al to downloadthe executable “Applet tag containing” file to client subsystems.

According the first system architecture shown in FIG. 2B 1, the UPN/URLDatabase management Subsystem 9 is realized by a SQL-based RDBMS server9, whereas the IPD server 11 is realized by a Java Web Server 11′,provided with Java servlet support, and operably connected to the RDBMSserver 9 by way of high-speed digital transmission link known in theart. During system operation, the Java Web Server 11′ serves to aJava-enabled client subsystem 13, an HTML-encoded document containing aservlet HTML tag <SERVLET> which, upon selection by a singlemouse-clicking operation by the consumer, sends an http request to theJava Web Server 11′, invoking a prespecified UPN-encoded servlet storedtherewithin, causing the CPIR-enabling servlet to execute on theserver-side of the network. This causes the servlet to call and runcertain predefined Java methods which carry out a UPN-specified CPIsearch on the RDBMS server 9 and return the search results to the clientsubsystem 13 for display within a predetermined GUI generatedtherewithin. Using this system architecture, each UPN-encoded servletexecuted within the Java Web Server 11′ will contain informationrelating to (1) the UPN-specified consumer product on which productinformation is to be searched for within the RDBMS server 9, (2)licensing information relating to whom the CPIR-enabling servlet hasbeen licensed (although this architecture does not enable easyenforcement of the granted license as the servlet is executed on theserver side of the network.

According to the second system architecture shown in FIG. 2B 2, theUPN/URL Database management subsystem 9 is realized by a SQL-based RDBMSserver 9, whereas the IPD server 11 is realized by a Java Web Server11″, providing Java Applet support and being operably connected to theRDBMS Server 9 by a high-speed digital data transmission link known inthe art. During system operation, the Java Web Server 11″ serves to theJava-enabled client subsystem 13, an HTML-encoded document containing a“UPN-encoded” Applet HTML tag <APPLET> which, upon selection by a singlemouse-clicking operation by the consumer, causes the CPIR-enablingApplet to execute on the client-side of the network, sending an httprequest to the Java Web Server 11″, invoking a prespecified CommonGateway Interface (CGI) stored within the Java Web Server 11″. Thiscauses the Applet to call and CGI to run certain predefined methods forcarrying out a UPN-specified CPI search on the RDBMS server 9 andreturning the search results to the client subsystem 13 for displaywithin a predetermined GUI prespecified within the Applet. Using thissystem architecture, each UPN-encoded Applet executed within the Javabrowser of the client machine 13 will contain information relating to(1) the UPN-specified consumer product on which product information isto be searched for within the RDBMS serverm9, (2) licensing informationrelating to whom the client-side Applet has been licensed and by whomthe Applet may be served within the terms of the licensing program, etc.

According to the third system architecture shown in FIG. 2B 3, theUPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9 is realized by a SQL-based RDBMSserver 9, whereas the IPD server 11 is realized by a Java Web Server11′″, providing client-side Applet support, and being operably connectedto the RDBMS server 9 by way of a high-speed digital data transmissionlink known in the art. During system operation, the Java Web Server 11′″serves to the Java-enabled client subsystem 13, an HTML-encoded documentcontaining a UPN-encoded Applet HTML tag <APPLET> which, upon selectionby a single-mouse clicking operation by the consumer, causes the Appletto execute on the client-side of the network, creating a “socket-type”connection at lower (TCP/IP) communication layers between the clientsubsystem 13 and Java Web Server 11′″, enabling the Java Web Server 11′″to run certain predefined Java methods for carrying out a UPN-specifiedCPI search on the RDBMS server 9, and returning the search results tothe client subsystem 13 for display within a GUI prespecified within theApplet. Using this system architecture, each UPN-encoded Applet executedwithin the Java client subsystem 13 will be created to containinformation relating to (i) the UPN-specified consumer product on whichproduct information is to be searched for within the RDBMS server 9,(ii) licensing information relating to whom the client-side Applet hasbeen licensed and by whom the Applet may be served within the terms ofthe licensing program, etc.

According to the fourth system architecture shown in FIG. 2B 4, theUPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9 is realized by a SQL-based RDBMSserver 9, whereas the IPD Server 11 is realized by a Java Web Server11″″, supporting client-side Applet execution and being operablyconnected to a high-speed digital data communication link well known inthe art. During system operation the Java Web Server 11″″serves to theJava-enabled client subsystem 13, an HTML-encoded document containing aApplet HTML tag <APPLET> which, upon selection by a singlemouse-clicking operation by the consumer, causes the CPIR-enablingApplet to execute within the Java-enabled client 13 on the client-sideof the network, calling a Remote Invocation Method to carry out aprespecified CPI search on the RDBMS server 9 and returning the searchresults to the client subsystem 13 for display within a predeterminedGUI prespecified by the Applet. Using this system architecture, eachUPN-encoded Applet executing within the Java enabled client 13 willcontain information relating to (1) the UPN-specified consumer producton which product information is to be searched for within the RDBMSserver, (2) licensing information relating to whom the server-sideApplet has been licensed and by whom the Applet may be served within theterms of the licensing program, etc.

In the first illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 2B 1, Java (enabled)Web Server 11′ can be realized by, for example, the Origin 200 Server orthe O₂ Desktop Workstation from Silicon Graphics, Inc, a high-end SUNinformation server from Sun Microsystems, Inc., or any other suitablecomputing machine, running: (1) JDBC Interface software for providing auniform access to a wide range of relational databases on RDBMS server 9(if necessary in a particular application of the system hereof) andproviding a common base on which higher level tools and interfaces canbe built; and (2) a servlet-enabled Web (http) server software programsuch as, the Java Web Server (JWS) 1.0 or later from JavaSoft, divisionof Sun Microsystems, Inc., or the JigSaw Web Server from the World WideWeb Consortium, each proving native Java support, or alternatively, theFastrak™ Web (http) server from Netscape Communications, Inc., theInternet Information Server (IIS) from the MicroSoft Corporation, theApache HTTP Server from The Apache Software Foundation, or any otherhttp server capable of transporting HTML-encoded documents, inconjunction with the Java Servlet Developer's Kit from JavaSoft, or theServlet Express Tool from IBM Research Labs in Haifa, Israel, formanaging servlets on Web servers lacking native Java support. In orderto develop servlets, the Java Web Server 11′ should also be equippedwith the following software tools: the Sun Java Developers Kit 1.1.xfrom Sun Microsystems, Inc.; and the Java Servlets Development Kit(JDSK) from Sun Microsystems, Inc., or a Java Development Environmentthat supports JDK 1.1.x, such as VisualAge for Java by IBM, MicroSoft'sVisual J++, or the like. Optionally, the Java Web Server 11′ may alsoinclude Web-site development software (e.g. based on the HTML 3.2 or 4.0Specification) for creating and maintaining the IPI Web-sites of thepresent invention, although such tools will be typically run on clientsubsystem 13 for practical reasons.

In the illustrative embodiments of FIGS. 2B2 through 2B4, Java WebServers 11″ through 11″″ can be realized by, for example, the Origin 200Server or the O₂ Desktop Workstation from Silicon Graphics, Inc, ahigh-end SUN information server from Sun Microsystems, Inc., or anyother suitable computing machine, running: (1) JDBC Interface softwarefor providing a uniform access to a wide range of relational databaseson RDBMS server 9 (if necessary in a particular application of thesystem hereof) and providing a common base on which higher level toolsand interfaces can be built; (2) a Web (http) server such as the JavaWeb Server (JWS) from JavaSoft, the JigSaw Web Server from the WorldWide Web Consortium, the Internet Information Server (IIS) from theMicroSoft Corporation, the Apache HTTP Server from the Apache SoftwareFoundation, or other Java-enabled Web server capable of transportingHTML encoded documents; (3) the Sun Java Developers Kit, from SunMicrosystems, Inc., for developing client-side Applets; and (4)optionally, Web-site development software (e.g. based on the HTML 3.2 or4.0 Specification) for creating and maintaining the IPI Web-siteshereof, although such tools will typically run on client subsystems 13for practical reasons. Notably, when using the Microsoft IIS, one canuse a Java Development Environment that supports JDK 1.1.x, such asVisualAge for Java by IBM, MicroSoft's Visual J++, and the like. Also,Java Web Server 11″ must provide support for running CGI scripts writtenin Java, PERL or other suitable scripting language known in the art.

In the illustrative embodiments shown in FIGS. 2B1 through 2B4, eachSQL-based RDBMS Server 9 can be realized by, for example, the Origin 200Server from Silicon Graphics, Inc., the O₂ Desktop Workstation fromSilicon Graphics, Inc., a ULTRA™ information server from SunMicrosystems, Inc., or any other suitable computing machine, running aRDBMS software program such as ORACLE 8.0 from Oracle Corporation,Sybase SQL from Sybase, Inc., Access 98 from Microsoft, or otherdatabase development program based on a database programming languagesuch as the SQL Language, the Sybase language, or any other suitabledatabase language enabling database programming and connectivity overthe Internet.

In principle, there can be millions of IPI Servers 12 within the systemhereof, each enabled to serve Web-based documents containing consumerproduct related information. Notably, each such IPI Server 12 can berealized by, for example, the Origin 200 Server from Silicon Graphics,Inc, the O₂ Desktop Workstation from Silicon Graphics, Inc., the ULTRA™information server from Sun Microsystems, Inc., or any other computingmachine (e.g. desktop, palmtop, laptop, etc.) running an operatingsystem (e.g. UNIX, LINUX, Macintosh, MS Windows, NT, etc.) capable ofperforming the functions of an Internet (http) information server in aclient-server distributed object computing environment. As shown in FIG.2-1 and 2-2, each IPI Server 12 is interfaced with an ISP 10A in aconventional manner. Each such IPI Server 12 is assigned a static IPaddress and a unique domain name on the Internet. Each IPI Server 12 isalso provided with (i) Web-site development software for creatingHTML-encoded multi-media pages for Web-site development, (ii) a dynamicweb-site auction hosting software solution, such as, AuctionNow 4.2 fromOpenSite, Inc.; and (iii) Web-site server software for supporting HTTPand serving HTML, XML and other document formats used to constructhypermedia-type Web-sites containing product related information of amulti-media nature. Such Web-sites can be expressed in HTML, XML, SGMLand/or VRML or any other suitable language which allows for Web-siteconstruction and Web-site connectivity. Web-site management software canbe used to maintain correct hyper-links for any particular Web-site.Preferably, the IPI Servers 12 are maintained by a team of networkmanagers under supervision of one or more webmasters.

Each retailer-related electronic-commerce (EC) information server 12Aindicated in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2 is operably connected to theinfrastructure of the Internet. In general, each retailer-relatedinformation server 12A can be realized by, for example, the Origin 200Server or O2 Desktop Workstation from Silicon Graphics, Inc., a high-endinformation server from Sun Microsystems, Inc., or any other computingmachine that can perform the function of a Server in a web-based,client-server type computer system architecture of the illustrativeembodiment. As shown in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2, each retailer-relatedEC-enabled information server 12A is interfaced with an ISP 10A in aconventional manner, and is assigned a static IP address and a uniquedomain name on the Internet. Each retailer-related EC-enabledinformation server 12A is also provided with: (i) Java-enabled WWW(http) server software, such as Netscape Communications FastTrakInformation Server software, for supporting http, ftp, XML/ICE and otherInternet protocols, and serving HTML and XML formatted documents (i.e.pages) associated with Web-sites containing product related informationof a multi-media nature; (ii) an advanced EC-enabled productmerchandising software solution, such as the Host and Merchant (orEnfinity) Intershop 4 E-Commerce Server Solution from IntershopCommunications, Inc., of San Francisco, Calif., and/or catalogMANAGER®and catalogMAKER® software programs from RealEDI, Inc. of Sherman Oaks,Calif., for building, managing and operating all aspects of e-commerceWWW sites, whether implementing on-line merchandising solutions forretailers and manufacturers, creating business-to-business andbusiness-to-consumer product catalogs; (iii) an Internet AdvertisementManagement Software Solution, such as OPEN ADSTREAM™ Internet ADmanagement software solution by REAL-MEDIA, Inc. of New York, N.Y.), formanaging all aspects of Internet advertising on Internet informationservers; (iv) a dynamic web-site auction hosting software solution, suchas, AuctionNow 4.2 from OpenSite, Inc.; and optionally (v) Web-sitedevelopment software for enabling the creation of HTML-encodedmulti-media pages and the like for the EC-enabled Web-site development.Such EC-enabled Web-sites can be expressed in HTML, XML and/or VRML orany other suitable language which allows for Web-site construction andWeb-site connectivity. Web-site management software can be used tomaintain correct hyper-links for any particular Web-site. Preferably,each EC-enabled retailer-related server 12A is maintained by a team ofnetwork managers under supervision of one or more webmasters. Theprimary function of each retailer-related EC information server 12A isto enable the hosting of one or more EC-enabled stores or EC-enabledon-line catalogues (i.e. WWW sites) owned, operated, managed and/orleased by one or more retailers, (and optionally wholesalers andmanufacturers as well) along the retail supply and demand chain. The useof the Intershop 4 Hosting and Merchant E-commerce software solutionenables sellers to design and build dynamic environments for buyers andsellers by enabling sellers (i.e. vendors) to: (1) create a unique lookand feel for their e-commerce sites using a Web browser; (2) fullycustomize their e-commerce sites to maximize the buyers experience,using an import/export function for easily importing existing productdatabases and site design directly into the Intershop; (3) builddetailed profiles of buyers and present them with products that matchthese profiles, creating a personalized shopping experience; and (4)offer complementary products for sale based on current selections,thereby raising the overall value of each e-commerce transaction carriedout. Also, the back-office portion of the Intershop 4 E-commerceSolution is intuitively organized to make it easy for sellers to managetheir on-line business through a Web browser.

Each manufacturer-related electronic-commerce (EC) information server12B indicated in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2 is operably connected to theinfrastructure of the Internet. In general, each manufacturer-related ECinformation server 12B can be realized by, for example, the Origin 200Server from Silicon Graphics, Inc., the O2 Desktop Workstation fromSilicon Graphics, Inc., the ULTRA™ information server from SunMicrosystems, Inc., or any other computing machine that can perform thefunction of a http server in a client-server distributed objectcomputing environment. As shown in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2, eachmanufacturer-related EC-enabled information server 12B is interfacedwith an ISP 10A in a conventional manner, and is assigned a static IPaddress and a unique domain name on the Internet. Eachmanufacturer-related EC-enabled information server 12B is also providedwith: (i) Java-enabled WWW (http) server software, such as NetscapeCommunications FastTrak Information Server software, for supportinghttp, ftp, and other Internet protocols, and serving HTML and XMLformatted documents (i.e. pages) associated with Web-sites containingproduct related information of a multi-media nature; (ii) an advancedEC-enabled product merchandising software solution, such as the Host andMerchant Intershop 4 E-Commerce Server Solution from IntershopCommunications, Inc., of San Francisco, Calif., and/or catalogMANAGER®)and catalogMAKER® software programs from RealEDI, Inc. of Sherman Oaks,Calif., for building, managing and operating all aspects of e-commerceWWW sites, whether implementing on-line merchandising solutions forretailers and manufacturers, or creating business-to-business andbusiness-to-consumer product catalogs; (iii) an Internet AdvertisementManagement Software Solution, such as OPEN ADSTREAM™ Internet ADmanagement software solution by REAL-MEDIA, Inc. of New York, N.Y.), formanaging all aspects of Internet advertising on Internet informationservers; (iv) a dynamic web-site auction hosting software solution, suchas, AuctionNow 4.2 from OpenSite, Inc.; and optionally (v) Web-sitedevelopment software for enabling the creation of HTML-encodedmulti-media pages and the like for the EC-enabled Web-site development.Such EC-enabled Web-sites can be expressed in HTML, XML, SGML and/orVRML or any other suitable language which allows for Web-siteconstruction and Web-site connectivity. Web-site management software canbe used to maintain correct hyper-links for any particular Web-site.Preferably, each EC-enabled manufacturer-related server 12B ismaintained by a team of network managers under supervision of one ormore webmasters. The primary function of each manufacturer-related ECinformation server 12B is to enable the hosting or one or moreEC-enabled stores or EC-enabled on-line catalogues (i.e. WWW sites)owned, operated, managed and/or leased by one or more manufacturers,(and optionally wholesalers and retailers as well) along the retailsupply and demand chain.

Each Client Computer Subsystem (hereinafter “client subsystem”) 13 canbe realized by any computing system employing operating system (OS)software (e.g. Macintosh, Windows 95, Windows NT, Unix, etc.) whichsupports a Java-enabled Internet browser program (e.g. Netscape'sNavigator, MicroSoft's Explorer, NCSC's Mosaic, etc.). The operatingsystem should also include: (1) Internet networking software thatsupports the TCP/IP networking protocol (required by HTTP, FTP and thelike) and provides a JAVA GUI-based Web browser interface; and, in thecase of client computer machines 13 that are used by manufacturers andretailers in their “back office” operations, (2) Electronic DataInterchange (EDI) networking software that supports all versions of EDIbetween two or more client subsystems over the VAN-based or Web-basedEDI networks illustrated in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2. Alternatively, clientsubsystems may also be realized by any of the following systems: (i) aNewton MessagePad 130 (running the Newton 2.0 Operating System andNetHopper™ Internet Software and equipped with a Motorola RF PCMCIAmodem card); (ii) a Pippin™ computer system from Apple Computer, Inc.;(iii) a PalmPilot VII wireless Internet-enabled palmtop computing deviceby 3COM, Inc.; (iv) a network computer (NC) that supports the Java™programming language and Java applets expressed therewith; (v) a Sony®WebTV Internet Terminal (supported by the WebTV Service provided byWebTV Network, Inc.); or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, each ClientComputer is interfaced with an ISP 10A in a conventional manner. Eachsuch client subsystem may be assigned a static IP address and a uniquedomain name on the Internet, or one may be dynamically assigned theretoby way of its ISP depending on its connectivity, and set of assignedfunctions within the consumer product information network of the presentinvention. Optionally, any client subsystem may include Web-site (http)server software serving Web documents of various formats (HTML, XML,SGML or the like) from one or more hypermedia-type Web-sites in a mannerwell known in the art.

Typically, each client subsystem 13 will be maintained by either presentor future manufacturers, retailers and/or consumers of products, aboutwhich information can be found on the Internet. As shown in FIG. 3A 1,any client subsystem of the present invention may be realized as adesktop computer workstation comprising: a processor and memory 19; avisual display monitor 20; a keyboard 21; a JAVA GUI mouse 22; and a barcode symbol reader 23 for reading UPC, UPC/EAN and other types of barcode symbols printed on consumer products, brochures, documents, and thelike.

As shown in FIG. 3A 2, any Client Computer 13 may also be realized inthe form of a Web-based (wired or wireless) multi-media kiosk, designedfor use as a “Cyber sales agent” within retail shopping environments. Asshown in FIG. 3A 2, the Web-based kiosk of the present invention maycomprise: a floor, wall or ceiling supported housing 25; anomnidirectional laser bar code symbol reader (e.g. Metrologic MS 6720Laser Scanner) 26 for reading UPC (and other types of) symbols printedon products, brochures, documents and the like; an active-matrixLCD-type visual display screen 27 for viewing product relatedinformation automatically displayed thereon in response to the entry ofthe UPC numbers scanned into the UPC Number Entry Window 21D below theIPI Finder button 21A of Control Strip 20B displayed on the clientsubsystem, as shown in FIG. 3C; a touch-screen type keyboard andpointing device 28 for clicking on anchored links on Web pages, enteringinformation into client subsystem during its use; audio-speakers 29A forsupporting multimedia Web-sites that may be visited when using theclient subsystem; a color or black/white printer for printer 29B forprinting out Web pages under consumer command during an informationfinding session using the system; and also, one or more floppy-disc (orotherwise removable) drive units 29C, accessible to the consumer forrecording promotional and trial versions of information-based consumerproducts (e.g. video and audio recordings, computer software products,and the like) on removable information storage media (e.g. 1.44 MBfloppy discs, 100 MB Zip® floppy discs, 1 GB Jazz® floppy discs, etc.)supplied by either the retailer or consumer. Optionally, the kiosk canbe provided with a stereoscopic micropolarizing LCD panel from VRex,Inc. of Elmsford, N.Y. so that micropolarized spatially-multiplexedimages (SMIs) of 3-D objects represented with VRML-encoded Web pages canbe stereoscopically perceived by consumers when viewed through either anelectrically-passive polarizing visor structure supported from thehousing of the kiosk, or a pair of polarizing eyeglasses tethered to thekiosk housing and donned by the consumer. Notably, by virtue of itscompact size and low power requirements, this Web-based kiosk can beeasily located in supermarkets, department stores, superstores,home-centers, discount retail outlets, or any other public locationwhere consumer-products are being sold, offered for sale, and/orserviced.

As shown in FIG. 3A 3, any Client Computer 13 within the system hereofmay be realized in the form of the Web-based multi-media kiosk 34, alsodesigned for use as a “virtual sales agent” within retail shoppingenvironments. As shown, the Web-based kiosk 34 comprises: anultra-compact housing 35 capable of being supported upon a pair ofsupport rods (35A), a vertical support surface (e.g. wall), a horizontalsupport surface (e.g. countertop), or supported from a ceiling orpedestal; an omnidirectional laser bar code symbol reader (e.g.Metrologic MS 6720 Laser Scanner) 36, modified with handle 36A, forreading UPC (and other types of) symbols printed on products, brochures,documents and the like; an active-matrix LCD-type visual display screen37 for viewing product related information automatically displayedthereon in response to the entry of the UPC numbers scanned into the UPCNumber Entry Window 21D displayed on the client subsystem; atouch-screen type keyboard and pointing device 38 for clicking onanchored links on Web pages, entering information into client subsystemduring its use; audio-speakers 39A for supporting multimedia Web-sitethat may be visited when using the client subsystem; a color orblack/white printer for printer 39B for printing out Web pages underconsumer command during an information finding session using the system;a scanner support stand 40 with Java GUIde flanges 41A and 41B, for JavaGUIdably receiving and supporting the scanner 36 as shown in FIG. 3A 3;a recoilable scanner cable 42, dispensed from cable cartridge 43 andJava GUIded through hole 44 in a scanner support bridge 40; a telephonehandset 45 and associated communication apparatus for making telephonecalls over a public telecommunications switching network (PSTN)independent of the operation of the Web-browser of the kiosk; and amag-stripe card reader 46 and associated credit transaction terminal forautomatically dialing up consumer credit and like databases over thePSTN (or Internet) upon scanning mag-stripe card 47 through reader 46.Optionally, the kiosk may also include one or more floppy-disc (orotherwise removable) drive units (not shown) accessible to the consumerfor recording promotional and trial versions of information-basedconsumer products (e.g. video an audio recordings, computer softwareproducts, and the like) on removable information storage media (e.g.1.44 MB floppy discs, 100 MB Zip® floppy discs, 1 GB Jazz® floppy discs,etc.) supplied by either the retailer or a consumer. Also, the kiosk canbe provided with a stereoscopic micropolarizing LCD panel from VRex,Inc. of Elmsford, N.Y. so that micropolarized spatially-multiplexedimages (SMIs) of 3-D objects represented with VRML-encoded Web pages canbe stereoscopically perceived by consumers when viewed through either anelectrically-passive polarizing visor structure supported from thehousing of the kiosk, or a pair of polarizing eyeglasses tethered to thekiosk housing and donned by the consumer. Notably, by virtue of itscompact size and low power requirements, this Web-based kiosk can beeasily located in supermarkets, department stores, superstores,home-centers, discount retail outlets, or any other public locationwhere consumer-products are being sold, offered for sale, and/orserviced.

As shown in FIG. 3A 3, the bar code symbol reader is supported withinits support stand/bridge 40. In this configuration, the laser scanningfield of the reader is projected downwardly upon the surface of the LCDtouch screen display panel. By virtue of the angle of tilt of thedisplay panel 37 relative to the ground surface of the retail store, andthe projection angle of the laser scanning field relative to the displaypanel surface, the consumer will be able to easy read the bar codesymbol on most consumer products by simply presenting the bar codesymbol to the scanning window. In the event that the product is toolarge to lift from the floor to the scanning window, the consumer cansimply remove the bar code symbol reader 36 from its support stand 40,as shown in FIG. 3A 3′, by pulling cord 42 out of its take-upcompartment 43 so that the reader is positioned to read the bar codesymbol 49 on the retail consumer product 48. When symbol scanning iscompleted, the bar code symbol reader is lifted back into its standsupport position, between support Java GUIdes 41A and 41B, while thecord 42 is automatically recoiled back into storage compartment 43, asshown in FIG. 3A 3. While the consumer uses the kiosk to scan UPC (orUPC/EAN) symbols on products, to find, access and display consumerproduct-related information on the display panel 37, he or she maychoose or need to use telephone 45 to speak with a manufacturer'srepresentative and engage in electronic commerce, and/or use themagstripe card reader 46 to read magstripe cards (e.g. credit cards) topay for consumer purchases made over the Internet using the kiosk of thepresent invention.

As shown in FIG. 3A 4, the Web-enabled kiosk of FIG. 3A 3 is modified toinclude a bar code symbol reader having a “cordless-type” scannerinterface, thereby eliminating the need for the communication/scannercable 42 shown in FIG. 3A 3. RF-based wireless interfaces, as disclosedin US Letters Patents and Published International Patent Applications,incorporated herein by reference, can be used to realize thiscordless-type scanner interface arranged between the bar code symbolreader 36 and the Web-enabled access terminal integrated within theinformation kiosk. In all other respects, the kiosk shown in FIGS. 3A4and 3A4′ is similar to the kiosk shown in FIGS. 3A3 and 3A3′ anddescribed above.

In FIG. 3A 5, a fifth illustrative embodiment of the client computersystem hereof is realized in the form of a consumer product informationaccess terminal integrated within a point-of-sale (POS) station inretail shopping environments. While this embodiment of the clientcomputer system hereof is particularly adapted for use by sales clerksat POS stations, as well as by store employees behind retailinformation/service counters, it may also be used by consumers andshoppers alike provided the necessary accommodations are made asdescribed hereinbelow.

As shown in FIG. 3A 5, a client subsystem 13 hereof is realized asconsumer product information access terminal 60 comprising: a POSstation-61 having a cash register computer 61A and keyboard 61B, and aprice/UPC Database 61C containing price and UPC number informationtables; a Web-enabled computer terminal 62 connecting the POS station 61to the Internet infrastructure 10 through an ISP 10A; a bar code symbolreader 63 connected to the POS station 61; a 15′ diagonal active-matrixLCD panel 64, operably connected to the output of the Web-enabledcomputer system 62 and the output of the cash register computer 61A, andhaving a swivel-base 65 that allows the LCD panel to be oriented invarious viewing positions for displaying consumer product-relatedinformation accessed from the IPI Registrant Database shown in FIGS. 4A1and 4A2, as well as price information accessed from the price/UPCdatabase 61C. The advantage of this client computer subsystem is that itenables a retail sales clerk to check out customer purchases in aconventional manner, and conveniently access the IPI Finding and ServingSubsystem when check-out business is relatively slow, to answer anyquestions that consumers may have regarding a particular product in theretail store. This system will be ideal in retail environments having ahigh level of customer service and large retail service staff. In suchinstances, the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem hereof empowers retailsales clerks, at the POS counters as well as customer service counters,by enabling them to quickly access any item of product relatedinformation linked to products in their stores by manufacturers andtheir agents.

As taught in the Objects and Summary of the Present Invention set forthhereinabove, the client computer system of the present invention 13 mayalso be realized in the form of a transportable bar code drivenmulti-media kiosk which is completely transportable within the store byhand for the convenience of consumers in retail shopping environments asshown in FIG. 3A 6. As taught hereinabove, the retail shoppingenvironment may be a department store, supermarket, superstore, retailoutlet or the like. Notably, the transportable bar code drivenmulti-media kiosk shown in FIG. 3A 6 is similar to the bar code drivenmulti-media kiosk shown in FIG. 3A 3, except that the kiosk shown inFIG. 3A 6 is scaled down in size and reduced in weight to enable thedevice to be completely transportable within the store by the hand ofthe shopper, as taught hereinabove. As shown in FIG. 3A 6, thecommunication connection between the transportable kiosk hereof and theinfrastructure of the Internet 10A can be realized using wirelessdigital communication technology (e.g. RF-based communicationsubsystems, using DFSK or spread-spectrum modulation techniques) wellknown in the art in order to provide (i) transportability within retailshopping environments for the convenience of shoppers, as well as (ii)Internet access to the IPI Web-site of the present invention (i.e.hosted on mirrored IPD Servers 11).

As taught in the Objects and Summary of the Present Invention set forthhereinabove, the client computer system of the present invention 13 mayalso be realized in the form of a bar code driven multi-media kioskmounted upon a conventional shopping cart, or other transportationvehicle, so as to be completely transportable within retail shoppingenvironments for the convenience of consumers, as shown in FIG. 3A 7. Astaught hereinabove, the retail shopping environment may be a departmentstore, supermarket, superstore, retail outlet or the like. Notably, thebar code driven shopping cart kiosk shown in FIG. 3A 7 is similar to thebar code driven multi-media kiosk shown in FIG. 3A 3, except that thekiosk shown in FIG. 3A 7 is mounted upon a conventional shopping cart tobe completely transportable within the store, as taught hereinabove. Asshown in FIG. 3A 7, each shopping cart supported kiosk hereof comprisesa cart structure 90 having a basket portion, a push-type handle barportion 92, a set of wheels and a kiosk device 13 mounted to the handlebar portion. In this illustrative embodiment, the client computersubsystem embodied within the kiosk includes a 2-way RF communicationlink with its I/O port and a network hub associated with an IP networkmounted within the retail shopping environment of concern. A wirelessspread-spectrum communication subsystem including base station 98 andnetwork adapter cards, such as the Symbol Spectrum24 wireless LAN (WLAN)by Symbol Technologies, Inc. can be used to realize the 2-Way RFcommunication link in a manner known in the communications network art.Such a wireless LAN provides (i) transportability with retail shoppingenvironments for convenience of shoppers, as well as (ii) Internetaccess to the IPI Web-sites of the present invention (i.e. hosted onmirrored IPD Servers 11). By strategically placing the access pointswithin the retail environment, the Symbol Spectrum 24 wireless LAN makesit possible to create a wireless bridge between a wired (IP-based) LANwithin the retail environment (operably connected to the Internet by anISP) and any number of shopping cart supported kiosks, as well as fixedmounted kiosks, and transportable Internet access terminals lent toconsumers for use within the retail shopping environment.

In alternative embodiments, any Client Computer 13 can be realized as anetwork computer (NC), a Web-TV™ type Internet Terminal, a NewtonMessagePad® PDA, or any other device providing Internet access to theIPI Web-site (i.e. mirrored IPD Servers) of the present invention.Notably, the same functionalities provided within the Web-based kioskdescribed above can be embodied with such alternative embodiments ofclient computer system.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3A 8, the client computer subsystem 13 canbe realized as a transportable hand-held computer, such as the Newton®Model 130 Messagepad 70 from Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.,provided with NetHopper™ brand Internet Access (http-client) Softwarewhich supports the TCP/IP networking protocol within the NewtonMessagePad operating system, as well as the client-side of http, astaught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,251 incorporated herein by reference.Notably, the NetHopper™ brand Internet Access (http-client) Software 71provides the Newton Model 130 Messagepad with an integrated JAVAGUI-based web browser program for WWW access in a manner know in theInternet access art. As shown in FIG. 3A 8, the Newton Messagepad has adisplay panel 72, touch-screen type keypad 73, and programmed laserscanning bar code symbol reader 74 (e.g., Metrologic ScanQuestg LaserScanning Module Model No. IS4120), integrated within the hand-helddevice as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,251. The function of bar codesymbol scanner 74 is to read UPC or UPC/EAN symbols on consumer productsand to produce symbol character data representative of the numbersencoded within such standardized bar code structures. The NewtonMessagepad Model 130, denoted by reference numeral 70, is also equippedwith a Motorola PCMCIA-based modem card 75 having a RF transceiver forestablishing a wireless digital communication link with either acellular base station or one or more satellite-base stations 76connected to the Internet by way of an ISP or NSP 10A in a manner wellknown in the global information networking art. As such, a firstwireless digital communication link 77 is established between the NewtonMessagepad 130 and cellular (or satellite) base stations 76, and asecond digital communications link 78 is established between the basestation 76 and the ISP or NSP associated with the infrastructure of theInternet. Accordingly, this embodiment of the client computer subsystemof the present invention is completely mobile (i.e. transportable andprovide the consumer access to the Internet and all of its informationresources on the WWW and elsewhere, provided that the device maintainsits wireless digital communication link with base station 76,distributed through the globe, making access to the IPD servers hereofpossible at home, in the office, within retail stores, as well as on theroad wherever that may be.

As shown in FIG. 3A 8, the Newton MessagePad, ScanQuest® Laser ScanningModule 74 and auxiliary battery supply (not shown) are completely housedwithin a rubberized shock-proof housing 79, in order to provide ahand-supportable unitary device 70 of rugged construction. Thishand-held Internet-enabled wireless information access terminal can beused virtually anywhere, provided wireless Internet access is enabled bydigital IP communication network service providers (NSPs) in operationabout the planet. Operation of Internet access terminal 70 is quitesimple from the user's point of view. Upon reading a bar code symbol 80on a consumer product 81, the object detection field 82 of the deviceautomatically detects the consumer product, and in response thereto, alaser beam 83 is automatically projected and swept across the UPC symbol80 thereon. While it is generally preferred that the automatic laserscanning engine 74 be interfaced with I/O communications port of theNewton MessagePad. device 70, it is understood that, in some instances,it may be desired to connect a pen or wand-type scanning device to theserial port thereof to provide bar code symbol reading capabilitiesthereto. Optionally, bar code decoding software can be run on theMessage Pad device, or as firmware contained within the scanning engine74 in a manner known in the art.

Notably, it is understood that there will be many different types ofwireless mobile Internet-enabled access terminals that may be used torealize the client computer subsystems of the present invention. Forexample, recently 3COM, Inc. introduced into its commercial product linethe PalmPilot VII Wireless Hand-Held Internet Access Terminal, which issimilar in many respects to the Newton Messagepad Model 130 equippedwith the Motorola PCMCIA-based modem card 75, and Nethopper™ Software,described above. Also, Symbol Technologies, Inc. of Holtsville, N.Y. hasintroduced the Symbol SPT 1500, SPT 1700, SPT 1740 and PPT 2700hand-held wireless bar code scanning Internet access terminals whichhave virtually the same functionalities embodied within the wirelesshand-held Internet access terminal shown in FIG. 3A 8, and originallydisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,251, supra.

The Web-enabled client subsystems 13 of the present invention describedhereinabove may be used to access consumer product-related information,as well as to carry out electronic-commerce related transactions, athome, at work, in the office, on the road, as well as in physical retailshopping environments.

For example, when visiting particular EC-oriented (i.e.electronic-commerce enabled) Web-sites, a consumer may scan UPC (and/orUPC/EAN) numbers on products within his or her home (e.g. in the pantry)using any one of the client computer subsystems hereof equipped with abar code symbol Reader in order to remotely purchase such consumerproducts using credit or debit type financing, and direct shipment ofpurchased products to the consumer's home or elsewhere by a particulardelivery service. Such EC-enabled WWW sites, commonly referred to aselectronic-commerce (EC) stores or storefronts, as well as on-lineelectronic commerce catalogues, can be operated by manufacturers,wholesalers and/or retailers of consumer products, as indicated in FIGS.2-1 and 2-2. As shown therein, retailer operated, managed and/or ownedEC stores (i.e. EC-enabled WWW sites) are hosted on retaileroperated/owned EC information servers (MECIS) 12B, whereas manufactureroperated, managed and/or owned EC stores (i.e. EC-enabled WWW sites) arehosted on manufacturer operated/owned EC information servers (MECIS) 12Boperably connected to the infrastructure of the Internet.

The consumer product information delivery system of the presentinvention shall enable an infinite array of applications with regard toelectronic commerce and home shopping, now made possible by the presentinvention.

The Retail Store Based Consumer Product Information Transport Subsystemof the Present Invention

As shown in FIG. 3A 9, each a retail shopping environment participatingin the system of the present invention is provided with a TCP/IP localarea network 80 comprising: a plurality of bar code driven kiosks 13 asshown in FIGS. 3A2 through 3A8, having (i) a Web browser program 13A(e.g. Netscape Communicator 4.5 for Windows 98 with a customized GUI)for enabling consumers to access and display information resources onthe Internet (e.g. WWW), and (ii) an e-mail client program 133 (e.g.POP3 mail client software) 82 for supporting e-mail based CPI transportoperations with remotely-situated e-mail-enabled client subsystems 13connected to the Internet, in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention; a network information server 84 running (i) e-mailmessaging software 84A for maintaining e-mail accounts and service foreach bar code driven kiosk on the retail store based LAN 80, (ii) httpserver software 84B for serving locally-stored Web document (e.g.advertisements, product prices, specials, notices, etc.) to consumers onthe kiosks, as well as (iii) firewall software 84C for maintainingnetwork security; a TCP/IP router 86 connected between the networkinformation server 84 the infrastructure of the Internet (i.e. ISP orNSP), for connecting the retail store based LAN and its connected kiosksto the Internet. Notably, the TCP/IP router 86 is assigned a static IPaddress that determines the IP address for the retail store based LAN80. Also, each kiosk can be assigned a static IP address on the retailstore based LAN, or a dynamically allocated IP address using the wellknow Dynamic Host Computer Protocol (DHCP), enabling both Web and e-mailservices on each kiosk.

In general, the network information server 84 can be realized by, forexample, the Origin 200 Server or O2 Desktop Workstation from SiliconGraphics, Inc., a high-end information server from Sun Microsystems,Inc., or any other computing machine that can perform the function of aserver in a web-based, client-server type computer system architectureof the illustrative embodiment. Exemplary electronic messaging (i.e.e-mail) software solutions for the network information server 84include, but are not limited to: N-Plex® Global Internet MessagingServer solution from Isocor, Inc. of Santa Monica, Calif.; the MessageDirect Server from Messaging Direct, Inc.; Mail Spinner, from Nascent;Netscape Messaging Server, from Netscape Communications, Inc.; orSendmail Pro, from Sendmail Inc. computer system architecture of theillustrative embodiment. Exemplary http server software solutions forthe network information server 84 include, but are not limited to: theJava Web Server (JWS) 1.0 or later from JavaSoft, division of SunMicrosystems, Inc.; the JigSaw Web Server from the World Wide WebConsortium; the Fastrak™ Web (http) server from Netscape Communications,Inc.; the Internet Information Server (IIS) from the MicroSoftCorporation; the Apache HTTP Server from The Apache Software Foundation;or any other http server capable of transporting HTML-encoded documents.

Alternatively, each network information server 84 can be realized usingthe Whistle INTERJET II network information server solution from IBM asa turn-key solution for the network information server 84 on the retailstore LAN 80. Details on the Whistle INTERJET II server can be found,incorporated herein by reference. This implementation can support up tohundred (100) bar code driven kiosks on a retail store LAN of thepresent invention, and in some applications, it may be desirable tomodify the e-mail software provided thereon in order to achieve thebusiness objectives of any particular application. It is understood,however, that in many application, in which advertisements, prices andspecials, notices and the like are to be displayed on the kiosks duringidle moments (i.e. when consumers are not scanning bar coded productsfor consumer product related information access and display), there willbe a need to use a more robust electronic messaging and http serversolutions on the retailer's network information server 84.

As shown in FIG. 3A 10A, a preferred way of implementing the retailerbased information network of in FIG. 3A 9 would be to install a wirelessLAN within each “brick & mortar” retail shopping environment, therebyenabling TCP/IP network connectivity between each Web/e-mail enabledkiosk 13 and the infrastructure of the Internet. As shown in FIG. 3A10A, each Web/e-mail enabled kiosk 13 is seamlessly connected to theTCP/IP network of the retailer LAN 80 using high data rate wireless LAN,such as the Spectrum24™ High Rate Wireless LAN (WLAN) from SymbolTechnologies, Inc., of Holtsville, N.Y. Notably, the Spectrum24 HighRate WLAN is designed to the proposed IEEE 802.11 open airwavesstandards including the Ethernet backbone, TCP/IP protocols, SNMPnetwork management, PCMCIA adapter card form factors and interfaces, andNDIS and compliant drivers. According to this wireless solution, eachWeb/e-mail enabled kiosk 13 is equipped with either a Spectrum24™wireless LAN PC card, radio card, or ISA card 90A to enable a wirelessTCP/IP connection to the retail based LAN within the store environment.A Spectrum24 network controller 90B, with integrated RF antennaelements, is installed within the retail shopping environment,preferably in a central location which facilitates excellent RF signaltransmission/reception between the network controller 90B and the LAN PCcard 90A in each of the Web/e-mail enabled kiosks 13 mounted within theretail shopping environment on, for example, a product self 2000 shownin FIGS. 3A10B through 3A10C. As shown in FIG. 3A 10A, the networkcontroller 90B and network information server 84 are connected to aTCP/IP hub 92 configured within the LAN according to a suitableconnectivity, well known in the art. In turn, the TCP/IP hub 92 isconnected to the infrastructure of the Internet (i.e. ISP) using a modemand a communication link in a manner known in the art. In turn, theTCP/IP hub 92 is connected to the TCP/TP routers 86, which is connectedto the Internet infrastructure Notably, using the Spectrum24 networkcontroller 90, the system administrator can enable administration andconfiguration of the Web/e-mail enabled kiosks, RF traffic control, nodemanagement, and diagnostics. Notably, the 2 Mbps or 11 Mbps version ofthe Spectrum24 High Rate WLAN can support Voice-over-IP applications ininstances where telephonic hand-sets are provided at the kiosk, as shownin FIG. 3A 3 through 3A7.

As shown in FIG. 3A 9, the central e-mail server 88 is assigned a staticIP address and connected to the infrastructure of the Internet using amodem in a manner known in the art. The retailer RDBMS 81 and amanufacturer RDBMS 83 are connected to the backend of the central e-mailserver 88 by way of a high-speed TCP/IP network 91. Preferably, RDBMS89A and 89B support protocols such as XML/ICE to enable electronic datainterchange with client machines operated by retailers and manufacturersalike. The information server supporting the central e-mail server 88may also support a http server and a suitable database interface toenable retailer and manufacturers alike to access the RDBMS 89A andRDBMS 89B over the Internet using XML, EDI, ftp or other informationinterchange protocol.

FIGS. 3A10B through 3A10C illustrate an exemplary product shelvingsystem in a retail shopping environment, wherein a plurality of aweb/e-mail enabled bar code driven CPI kiosks 12 are mounted onto shelfstructures 99 by way of a kiosk mounting bracket 13C that can beremovably attached to a shelf structure 99 (using a special tool) aswell as disattached therefrom for reinstallation within the parts of theretail store as circumstances require. As shown, each web/e-mail enabledkiosk 13 is equipped with a wireless LAN PC card 90A in order toestablish a wireless connection with retailer LAN 90 via the wirelessLAN controller 90B. As shown in FIGS. 3A10B, the kiosk 13 depictedtherein is a modified version of the kiosk shown in FIGS. 3A3 and 3A4,wherein the bar code reading device 36′ is pivotally mounted on thekiosk housing and orientated for optimal product label scanning.

In order to better understand the functions of the centralized e-mailserver 88 and its back-end RDBM 89A and 89B illustrated in FIGS. 3A9 and3A10, it will be helpful to provide a brief overview of the CPItransport services enabled by the e-mail based information transportsubsystem described above.

During operation of the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem hereof withina retail shopping environment, the consumer having accessed anddisplayed a consumer product related Web document on a bar code drivenconsumer product information kiosk as shown, for example, in FIGS. 3A2through 3A8, may also desire to retain a copy thereof for futurereference and use. In such instances, it would desirable to provide thebar code driven information kiosk 13 with a thermal or like printer sothat consumers can printout accessed product related information withinthe retail shopping environment and take the same home for future reviewand evaluation. However, from the retailer's point of view, providingeach such CPI kiosk with a printer may be too costly to maintain intypical retail environments. Thus, there is a great need for an improvedmethod of and system for making consumer copies of consumer productinformation that has been accessed and displayed on bar code drivenconsumer product information kiosks within retail shopping environments.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the problemof providing consumers with copies of accessed consumer productinformation within retail shopping environments is addressed by enablingthe consumer at the retail-based kiosk to: (1) display an e-mailenvelope (ready for stuffing, addressing and sending) the display frame20C of the Web browser program thereof, by manually selecting controlbutton 21G provided along the control frame 20B, shown in FIG. 3A 14A;(2) capturing, saving, and attaching any accessed/displayed consumerproduct document to the displayed e-mail envelope by manual (orvoiced-directed) selection of the “capture, save and attach” button 110within the displayed e-mail envelope of FIG. 3A 14, or capturing andrecording the URL of the CPI-related document being displayed by manual(or voice-directed) selection of the “capture and record” button 112within the displayed e-mail envelope of FIG. 3A 16; (3) addressing thee-mail envelope with the consumer/shopper's home, office or like e-mailaddress by either reading an e-mail address encoded within a bar code(or magnetic-stripe) structure or manually entering the same within theaddressee field; and (4) sending the stuffed e-mail envelope by manualselection of the “send” button 114 within the displayed e-mail envelope.The enabling infrastructure for this e-mail enabled consumer productinformation transport subsystem will be described hereinbelow.

Notably, the e-mail envelope displayed on each information kiosk hereof,as shown in FIGS. 3A14 and 3A16, need not indicate that a copy of aparticular e-mail message is being sent to the centralized e-mail server88 upon selecting the “send” button, although circumstances may dictatethat notice be given to customers using this e-mail CPI-relatedtransport service within retail shopping environments. In the case wherethe “cc” field visually indicated to the consumer, it may be desirableto enable the consumer to delete preset recipients in the addresseefields thereof so that, upon transmission, no copies of transmittede-mail envelope will be sent to third parties (e.g. retailers and/ormanufacturers), thereby providing the customer with a greater sense ofconfidentiality and privacy with respect to its product inquires whenusing this e-mail CPI-related transport service.

Having provided an overview of the functions of the e-mail CPI-relatedtransport service of the present invention, it is appropriate at thisjuncture to briefly describe the primary functions to be performed bycentral e-mail server 88 and RDBMs 89A and 89B shown in FIG. 3A 9.

In the context of the e-mail CPI-related transport service of thepresent invention, the primary function of the central e-mail server 88shown in FIGS. 3A9 and 3A10 is to receive a “carbon copy” (Cc) of eache-mail envelope sent from a retailer kiosk within the system of thepresent invention, to the e-mail address of the shopper (or friendthereof) accessible at home, in the office, at school, or on the road.In alternative embodiments of the present invention, the central e-mailserver 88 can be realized as a mirrored array of e-mail serversconnected to different points of the Internet about the planet, whosemain purpose is to collect copies of e-mail CPI transmissions sent tothe e-mail addresses of consumers/shoppers from Web/e-mail enabledkiosks 13 within retail shopping environments. Such information isimportant to retailers and manufacturers as it reflects the consumerproduct related interests of consumers shopping at particular “brick &mortar” retail stores, located at particular geographic regions on theEarth. Potentially, each such region will have a different marketsignificance to particular retailers and/or manufacturers.

Once such CPI-related information has been collected by the centrale-mail server(s) 88 the retailer RDBMS 81 periodically downloads a copyof the e-mail CPI transmission records maintained within the centrale-mail server subsystem 88. Thereafter, such records are processed andreorganized in a form that is readily useful to retailers who offerparticular UPN-labeled products for sale. An exemplary databasestructure for the retailer RDBMS 89A is set forth in FIG. 3A 11.Preferably, the retailer RDBMS 89A will contain information on which Webdocuments (specified at a particular URL) were accessed at a particularretailer kiosk (having a geographic specification) and transported to aparticular e-mail address of a consumer considering the purchase of theUPN-labeled product linked to the URL Notably, the retailer RDBMS 89A ofthe illustrative embodiment can be realized as an Octane® Workstation orO₂ Desktop Workstation from SGI of Mountain View, Calif., a high-end SUNinformation server from Sun Microsystems, Inc., or any other high-endcomputing platform running RDBMS solution software such as, for example,Oracle8i (Release 2) RDBMS software from Oracle Corp. of Redwood Shores,Calif., and data mining and analysis software such as, for example,Mineset 3.0 Visual data mining software from SGI. Using such data miningand analysis tools, various types of reports can be generated forindividual retailers indicating trends in consumer shopping behavior, aswell as the address and identity of prospective customers. Preferably,only retailers registered with the system will be provided access toinformation maintained within the retailer RDBMS 89A that relate to Webdocuments accessed and reviewed by the retailer's kiosks, prior to orafter making a consumer product search and/or purchase within aparticular retail shopping environment.

Similarly, the function of the manufacturer RDBMS 83 is to periodicallydownload a copy of the e-mail CPI transmission records maintained withinthe central e-mail server subsystem 88, and to thereafter process andreorganize the same so as to be put into a form that will be readilyuseful to manufacturers who make or have made particular UPN-labeledproducts for sale and publish particular CPI-related Web documents onthe WWW and link the same to particular UPN-labeled products. Anexemplary database structure for the manufacturer RDBMS is set forth inFIG. 3A 12. Preferably, the manufacturer RDBMS 89B will containinformation on which Web documents (specified at a particular URL) wereaccessed at a particular retailer kiosk (having a geographicspecification) and transported to a particular e-mail address of aconsumer considering the purchase of the UPN-labeled product linked tothe URL. Notably, the manufacturer RDBMS 89B of the illustrativeembodiment can be realized as an Octane® Workstation or O₂ DesktopWorkstation from SGI of Mountain View, Calif., a high-end SUNinformation server from Sun Microsystems, Inc., or any other high-endcomputing platform running RDBMS solution software such as, for example,Oracle8i (Release 2) RDBMS software from Oracle Corp. of Redwood Shores,Calif., and data mining and analysis software such as, for example,Mineset 3.0 Visual data mining software from SGI. Using such data miningand analysis tools, various types of reports can be generated forindividual manufacturers indicating trends in consumer shoppingbehavior, as well as e-mail leads on prospective customers. Preferably,only manufacturers registered with the system will be provided access toinformation maintained within the manufacturer RDBMS 89B that relate toWeb documents accessed and reviewed by shoppers or the retailer'skiosks, prior to or after making a particular product search and/orpurchase within a particular retail shopping environment.

The Consumer Product Advertising and Promoting Subsystem of the PresentInvention For Use in retail Shopping Environments

The structure and function of the consumer product advertising andpromoting delivery subsystem of the present invention, indicated byreference numeral 2A in the system diagram of FIG. 1, will now bedescribed in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 3A 17 through 3A24.

In general, the function of subsystem 2A is to enable the management ofWeb-based consumer product advertisements, promotions, and productlocation instructions created by manufacturers, their agents, andretailers, and delivering the same to consumers within physical retailenvironments using wireless Web-based product promotion/advertisingkiosks installed therewithin. As shown in FIG. 3A 17, subsystem 2Acomprises: a plurality of manufacturer-operated client machines for (i)managing UPN/URL data links and using EDI techniques to transmit thesame to a centralized Web-based RDBMS (structured as shown in FIG. 3A19A) for subsequent delivery to Web-based product promotion kiosksinstalled within a retailer WAN, as shown in FIGS. 3A18 through 3A21C,or (ii) managing UPN-indexed information resource files (IRFs) of amulti-media nature, and using EDI techniques to transmit the same to acentralized Web-based RDBMS (structured as shown in FIG. 3A 19B) forsubsequent delivery to the Web-based product promotion kiosks; aplurality of advertiser-operated client machines for (i) managingUPN/URL data links and using EDI techniques to transmit the same to acentralized Web-based RDBMS (structured as shown in FIG. 3A 19A) forsubsequent delivery to Web-based product promotion kiosks installedwithin a retailer WAN, as shown in FIGS. 3A18 through 3A21C, or (ii)managing UPN-indexed information resource files (IRFs) of a multi-medianature, and using EDI techniques to transmit the same to a centralizedWeb-based RDBMS (structured as shown in FIG. 3A 19B) for subsequentdelivery to the Web-based product promotion kiosks; and a plurality ofin-store retailer local area networks (LANs) or wide area networks(WANs), as shown in the FIG. 3A 18, for delivering product advertisingand promotional information to consumers via Web-based product promotionkiosks of the type shown in FIGS. 3A19C and 3A19D, arranged, forexample, in retail stores as shown in FIG. 3A 20 and display suchinformation using browser GUIs as shown, for example, in FIG. 3A 21A.Notably, Web-based information resource files (IRF) associated with theUPN/URL links in the Web-based RDBMS of FIG. 3A 17, can be served fromservers 12, 12′, 12 and 12A, as in the case of the IPI finding subsystemof FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2, or stored within a terra-sized data warehouse(i.e. RDBMS) accessible to consumers through http servers in a mannerknown in the art.

In FIG. 3A 18, an illustrative embodiment of the consumer productpromotion/advertisement delivery subsystem of FIG. 3A 17 is shown ingreater detail. Preferably, each retailer-operated Web-based productpromotion kiosk in the information network of FIG. 3A 18 uses amulti-frame display framework as shown in FIG. 3A 21A, to simultaneouslydisplay the following elements of information to consumers within thestore: (i) a display frame for displaying the retailer's identity orimage (e.g. “Welcome to WalMart® Stores”), created by the manufacturerand selected by the retailer through a Web-enabled client machine (e.g.retailer-operated administration client machine shown in FIGS. 3A18 and3A20) and indexed by the exemplary URL denoted as URL-DF1; (ii) adisplay frame for displaying a product advertisement, created by themanufacturer and/or its agent, but selected by the retailer through aWeb-enabled client machine (e.g. retailer-operated administration clientmachine shown in FIGS. 3A18 and 3A20), and indexed by the exemplary URLdenoted by URL-DF2; (iii) a display frame for displaying a promotionalmessage about the advertised product, selected by the retailer through aWeb-enabled client machine (e.g. retailer-operated administration clientmachine shown in FIGS. 3A18 and 3A20), and indexed by the exemplary URLdenoted by URL-DF3; and (iv) a display frame for displaying informationindicating where the advertised product is located within the store(e.g. by store category, aisle, store section, etc.). Notably, each suchset of information to be displayed from a particular product promotionkiosk in particular retail store is programmed by the retailer using aWeb-enabled client. During the programming operations, the retailmanager will view a Product Promotion Programming Table, as shown inFIG. 3A 23, which is maintained within Web (http) server 9′ or httpserver connected to the data warehouse shown in FIG. 3A 18. Thecomputing platform supporting each such http server can also run theOPEN ADSTREAM™ (OAS) 5.0 Internet Advertisement Management Solutionsoftware from Real Media, Inc., of New York, N.Y. Using the OAS 5.0advertisement management solution, and the Product Promotion ProgrammingTable, each retail store manager (or other designated person within theorganization), can determine which product advertisements and promotions(i.e. HTML code, image files, and any other rich media contentassociated therewith) will be displayed within the designated displayframes (DF1, DF2, DF3 and DF4) a particular product promotion kiosk, atwhich times of the day, on which dates, etc. in accordance with aproduct promotion program being carried out by the retailer. While themanufacturers, their agents and advertising agents will be enlisted tocreate product advertisements (i.e. digital content) for the consumerproduct advertising and promoting subsystem 2A of the present invention,the retailers are provided with total control over what products withintheir store will be advertised and promoted, when and where within theirenterprises.

As shown in FIGS. 3A19C and 3A19D, each Web-based promotion kiosk in theretail shopping LAN or WANs of FIGS. 3A17 and 3A18, comprises aWeb-enabled computing platform which may have many if not all of thesubcomponents and functionalities of the consumer product informationkiosks shown in FIG. 3A 3, and described in great detail hereinabove(e.g. including touch-screen LCD panel, automatic laser scanning barcode reader), and therefore, may function as such if and when retailconditions require. However, Web-based the product promotion kiosk ofFIGS. 3A19C and 3A19D also includes a number of important intelligencefunctionalities which makes it particular well suited for productadvertising and promotion within retail stores, as shown in FIG. 3A 20.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 3A 19D, the product promotion kioskcomprises a pair of 2-D CCD sensors and associated light collectionoptics, integrated within its ultra-thin flat-panel housing, forautomatically capturing images of scenery (e.g. human subjects) with itsfield of view (FOV) of the kiosk, as shown in FIG. 3A 19C, and an imageprocessor for processing the same to detect the presence of human eyesglazing at the display surface of the kiosk. Such images are capturedusing image capture subsystem, of which the 2-D CCD sensors comprise asubcomponent. The individual fields of view of each CCD sensor can becombined to provide a resultant FOV for the kiosk. Each digital image istime-stamped and transferred to an image buffer for preprocessing in amanner well known in the art. Details on digital image preprocessingalgorithms can be provided in the textbook “HANDBOOK OF IMAGE PROCESSINGOPERATORS” (1996) by R. Kletpe and P. Zamperoni, incorporated herein byreference.

As shown in FIG. 3A 19D, a high-speed digital image processor isprovided for processing each preprocessed image of the captured scenery,so as to detect one or more pairs of eyes within the captured image,indicative that human eyes were gazing at the product advertisement andpromotion being displayed at the time-stamped instant of the capturedimage. Conventional eye-tracking algorithm software known in the art canbe used or otherwise adapted to perform this image processing function.

Each time a pair of eyes is detected, data indicative thereof (includingthe time stamp) can be stored within long-term memory (e.g. written to ahard disc storage embodied within the kiosk), whereas each frame ofbuffered image data, once analyzed, can be discarded (i.e. dumped). Suchimage frame data can be captured at a rate of 5 or more (pairs of)frames per second to collect accurate information about the number ofeyes gazing at the displayed advertisements, within the field of view ofthe kiosk, which is spatially coincident with the view angle of thetouch-screen LCD panel employed within the kiosks. At the same time,information about which UPN-indexed product advertisements are beingdisplayed on the GUI of the kiosk, at time-stamped instances ofoperation, can also be written to the hard drive of the kiosk, andeventually be compared against the eye-tracking data recorded thereon todetermine the number of eyes which gazed at each productadvertisement/promotion displayed on each product promotion kiosk,within a particular store, on a given date, as indicated by theexemplary report shown in FIG. 3A 24. Periodically, this information canbe transferred to a retailer-operated server on the LAN or WAN forcomparison with sales information collected at retailer-operated POSstations. As indicated in the report of FIG. 3A 24, the server can beanalysis the collected retail information and determine how many unitsof a particular UPN-labeled product were sold in the retail store,within which product advertisements/promotions for the product weredisplayed on product promotion kiosks within the retail storeenvironment. Such reports will help determine the efficacy of a productadvertising/promotion program run over the network of product promotionkiosks in the store, and how the program should be modified to increasesales. All sorts of value information can be collected by theintelligent Web-based product promotion kiosks of the present invention,including shopper traffic through a retail store, patterns of shopperpooling during particular pats of the day, all carried out in anon-intrusive manner without violating the privacy concerns of theretailer's customers.

The Database Structure of the IPD Server

In the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, eachdata-synchronized IPD Server 11 of the preferred embodiment maintains atleast two different relational-type databases, namely: a IPI RegistrantDatabase for storing information about manufacturers whose products areregistered with the system; and a Non-IPI Registrant Database forstoring information about manufacturers whose products are notregistered with the system. A schematic representation of the IPIRegistrant Database is shown in FIG. 4A 1, whereas a schematicrepresentation of the Non-IPI Registrant Database is shown in FIG. 4B.

As shown in FIG. 4A 1, the relational-type IPI Registrant Databasemaintained by each IPD Server comprises a plurality of labeledinformation fields for each product “registered” therewith, namely: anIPN Information Field for storing information (e.g. numeric oralphanumeric string) representative of the Universal Product Number(e.g. twelve-digit UPC Version A number, eight-digit UPC Version Enumber, thirteen-digit UPC/EAN number, or twelve-digit UPC Version Anumber plus five-digit Add-On Code Segment number frequently used in thepublishing industry) assigned to the consumer product; a Company NameInformation Field for storing information (e.g. numeric or alphanumericstring) representative of the name of the company making, selling ordistributing the corresponding product; a URL Information Field(s) forstoring information (e.g. numeric or alphanumeric string) representativeof the Universal Resource Locator (URL) or Universal Resource Locators(URLs) at which information resource(s) of the multimedia type can befound on the Internet relating to the corresponding consumer product; aTrademark Information Field for storing information (e.g. text and/oralphanumeric strings) representative of each trademark (or Domain Name)used in connection with the promotion, sale, distribution and/or use ofthe corresponding product, and preferably registered with the UnitedStates Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) or other governmental orquasi-governmental agency (e.g. INTERNIC or Network Solutions, Inc.); aProduct Description Information Field for storing information (e.g. textstrings) descriptive of the corresponding product; an E-mail AddressInformation Field for storing information (e.g. numeric or alphanumericstring) representative of the e-mail address of the correspondingcompany (e.g. manufacturer) on the Internet; a CPIR-Enabling AppletInformation Field for storing information representative of consumerproduct information request (CPIR) enabling Applets accessible byretailers, wholesalers, advertisers, Web publishers and the like bydownloading operations to be described in detail hereinafter, andeventually inserted within the HTML code of Web documents on varioustypes of Internet information servers used to host WWW sites of allsorts, so that, when executed, these CPIR-enabling Applets automaticallyaccess from the master UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9 hereof, acategorized menu of URLs specifying the location of informationresources on the Internet pertaining to a particular UPN-labeled productand symbolically linked thereto by its manufacturer or authorized agent;image file storage field for storing color images of consumer productsregistered with the system; and a Status Information Field for storinginformation (e.g. numeric or alphanumeric string) representative ofwhether the company (e.g. manufacturer) associated registered producthas paid their monthly, quarterly or annual registration fees associatedwith registration within the IPD Servers of the information finding andserving subsystem hereof. Notably, each information item contained withthe information field shown along the same horizontal line of FIG. 4A 1is related or linked.

In general, the URL stored in the URL Information Field specifies theaddress of an information resource on the Internet (e.g. Web), and thusmay point to any one of the following types of information resources: aHTML document or file on the World Wide Web (expressed in the HyperTextMarkup Language); a single record in a database; the front-end of anInternet program such as Gopher; or the results of a query made usinganother program. In accordance with convention, the syntactic structureof each URL generally comprises: a Protocol Specifier, such as “http”,“ftp”, “gopher”, “news”, or “mail to”, and specifies the type ofresource that the URL is pointing (i.e. connecting) to; a HostIndicator, represented by double slashes “i/” if the URL is requestinginformation from a Web Server; Server Name comprising an Internet DomainName (e.g. “www.”), the address of the Web Server (e.g. “ibm.”), and adesignator (e.g. “com”, “edu”, “int”, “mil”, “net”, “org”, etc.)identifying who owns the server or where it is located; a Path Name,such as “Products/Computers/”, indicating a path to the destinationinformation file on the identified Server; and a Resource Name(including file extension, e.g. “.html”), such as “aptiva.html”,identifying the actual named information file that contains actualinformation resource specified by the URL.

As used herein as well as in the claims to Invention, the term“registered” and the variants thereof shall be understood to mean listedor having an entry within a database. Such listing or entry can beachieved in a variety of ways including, but not limited to: (i) byspecific request of the associated company or business; or (ii) by thesystem administrator without a request and/or authorization of thecorresponding company or business linked to the product.

Notably, each information item contained within the information fieldshown along the same horizontal line of FIG. 4A 1 is symbolicallyrelated or linked. Different products of the same registrant or relatedregistrant may also be linked together so that a user looking forinformation about a particular product is automatically provided withURLs which are assigned to related products of the registrant which maysatisfy the goals or objectives of a particular advertising and/ormarketing campaign or product promotion program of the registrantcompany. As it may be desired to relate particular products atparticular points in time, the relationships therebetween can bedynamically changed within the IPI Registrant Database by astraightforward database updating operation carried out by a systemadministrator (or manager) who, in theory, can be located virtuallyanywhere throughout the world. Expectedly, such database updatingoperations would be carried out using appropriate system access andsecurity procedures well known in the art.

Inasmuch as the UPC data structure is presently employed as a universalproduct identifier (i.e. a primary data structure) in a majority ofindustries throughout the world, its twelve-digit numeric string (forUPC Version A) or eight-digit numeric string (for UPC Version E) will bea preferred UPN (in many applications) for purposes of carrying out theprinciples of the present invention. This twelve (12) digithuman-readable number, printed on the bottom of each UPC label (andencoded within the bars and spaces of the UPC label itself), comprises:(i) a six digit manufacturer number assigned to the manufacturer by theUniform Code Council, Inc. (UCC) of Dayton, Ohio, and consisting of aone digit “number system” number and a five digit manufacturer code;(ii) a five digit “product” number assigned to the product by themanufacturer; and (iii) a one digit modulo check digit (mathematicallycalculated) and added to each UPC number to check that the code has beenread correctly by the bar code symbol reader.

In order to provide the requester greater control over what informationis actually displayed on its client subsystem, the URL Information Fieldof the IPI Database shown in FIG. 4A 1 contains a number of informationsubfields. As shown in FIG. 4A 2, these information subfields comprise:a Product Advertisement Information Field for storing informationrepresentative of URLs pointing to information on the Internet relatingto advertising and/or promotion of the product; a Product Specification(i.e. Description) Information Field for storing informationrepresentative of URLs pointing to information on the Internet relatingto specifications on the product; a Product Update Information Field forstoring information representative of URLs pointing to information onthe Internet relating to product updates, recalls, notices, etc; aProduct Distributor (e.g. Wholesaler and/or Resaler) Information Fieldfor storing information representative of URLs pointing to informationon the Internet relating to distribution, sale and/or ordering of theproduct; a Product Warranty/Servicing Information Field for storinginformation representative of URLs pointing to information on theInternet relating to warranty, extended warranty offerings, servicingand maintenance of the product; a Product Incentive Information Field(e.g. rebates, discounts and/or coupons) for storing informationrepresentative of URLs pointing to information on the Internet relatingto rebates, discounts and sales on the product; a Product ReviewInformation Field for storing information representative of URLspointing to information on the Internet relating to reviews, analysis,testing, inspection and/or comparison of the product; and MiscellaneousInformation Field(s) for storing information representative of URLspointing to information on the Internet relating to miscellaneousaspects of the product (e.g., direct product sales on the WWW, productinstallation/set-up and operating manuals, company reports (10 Ks,annual reports, etc.), and the like. Each URL symbolically linked to aUPC-labeled product registered in the Registered IPI Database iscategorized within one or more of these URL categories.

The list of URLs recordable in the IPI Registrant Database for eachregistered UPC-labeled product is virtually unlimited. Below are just afew examples of how the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem hereof can beused as a virtual sales agent that provides value-added services toconsumers, retailers and the like.

For each CD sound recording, the URL list may contain a URL that pointsto a promotional QuickTime® video recording or MP3-formatted soundrecording published on the WWW for reviewing and evaluation by theconsumer. The promotional song can be by a commissioned or endorsingartist, as is typically done in conventional advertising programs. Thesame can be done for video recordings on tape and digital video discs(DVDs). The URL may also provide the consumer with a down-loadable trialversion of the product for a limited time period.

For each computer software product, the URL list may contain a URL thatpoints to a multi-media clip on the WWW that provides a demonstration ofthe solutions that the software product provides, as well as thefunctions and development tools that it enables. It may also provide theconsumer with a down-loadable version of the software product for atime-limited trial period.

For electronic consumer products, the URL list may contain a URL thatpoints to a multi-media clip on the WWW that provides an audio-visualdemonstration of the product in various user environments. Also, the URLlist can contain a URL that points to a Web-based Specification Sheetthat can be printed out in a retail environment, at home, work or on theroad.

For groceries and like articles, the URL list may contain a URL thatpoints to a multi-media clip on the WWW that provides a QuickTime® videorecording or the like of the product, illustrating various cookingrecipes and uses for the product. Also, the URL list can contain a URLthat points to a Web-based Discount Coupon that can printed out in thestore, at home or work.

For toys, the URL list may contain a URL that points to a multi-mediaclip on the WWW that provides an audio-visual demonstration of the toyalong with promotional endorsements by the various characters used inits advertising campaign.

For clothing, garments, or accessories (e.g. wearing apparel), the URLlist may contain a URL that points to a multi-media clip on the WWW thatprovides a QuickTime® video recording or the like of the clothing,garments, and/or accessories being modeled by stunning fashion models.Ideally, such video recordings, linked to particular articles of wearingapparel by their UPC number, can be used to extend and augment theadvertising campaign being carried out in other forms of media (e.g.television, radio, print, billboards, etc.).

Preferably, the manufacturer, its marketing personnel and advertisingagents will actively participate in the creation of the product relatedinformation resources, as well as the placement of their URLs into theabove-defined (or like) URL categories maintained within the Database ofthe IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem hereof. Also, using theManufacturer/Product Registration Subsystem hereof, manufacturers and/ortheir agents can easily link their UPNs (e.g. UPC and/or EANs) with suchURLs and manage the same in a dynamic manner to ensure that productrelated information on the Internet is accurately linked to the UPNs ofthe manufacturer's products. Through such active participation, thebusiness objectives of any particular manufacturer or retailer can bepromoted by way of the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem of the presentinvention. In this way, the information requesting consumer is providedwith only the kinds of product-related information which he or sheseeks.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the Non-IPI Registrant Database maintained by eachIPD Server comprises a plurality of labeled information fields for eachproduct that is not currently registered with the IPD Server, namely: anIPSN (i.e. IPN) information Field for storing information (e.g. numericor alphanumeric string) representative of the Universal Product Number(e.g. a UPC number from a UPC numbering system, or an EAN numberingsystem) assigned to the non-registered product; a Company NameInformation Field for storing information (e.g. numeric or alphanumericstring) representative of the name of the company making, selling ordistributing the corresponding non-registered product; a TrademarkInformation Field for storing information (e.g. text and/or alphanumericstrings) representative of each trademark used in connection thepromotion, sale, distribution and/or use of the corresponding product,and preferably registered with the USPTO or other governmental agency; aProduct Description Information Field for storing information (e.g. textstrings) descriptive of the corresponding product; and an E-mail AddressInformation Field for storing information (e.g. numeric or alphanumericstring) representative of the e-mail address of the correspondingcompany (e.g. manufacturer) on the Internet; a Status Information Fieldfor storing information (e.g. numeric or alphanumeric string)representative of whether the company associated non-registered producthas been solicited by the IPD Server, and on what dates registrationsolicitation has occurred. Notably, each information item contained withthe information field shown along the same horizontal line of FIG. 4A 1is related or linked. The information required to construct the Non-IPIRegistrant Database shown in FIG. 4B can be readily obtained from anumber of commercially or publicly available information sources (e.g.,the Universal Code Council, Inc., Dayton, Ohio; QRS, Inc. Of Richmond.Calif.; General Electric Information Services (GEIS) of Delaware,Maryland; etc.).

Constructing the IPI Registrant Database Within the IPI Finding andServing Subsystem Hereof

The utility of the product finding functionalities of the IPI Findingand Serving Subsystem hereof depends in large part on the number ofconsumer-products registered with the IPI and Non-IPI RegistrantDatabases supported within the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9hereof, as illustrated in FIGS. 2B1, 2B2, 2B3 and 2B4. In principle,numerous techniques may be employed separately or in combination witheach other in order to construct the IPI and Non-IPI RegistrantDatabases of the present invention. Six such techniques will be detailedbelow.

According to a first database construction technique, the administratorof the IPI Registrant Database would transmit Product RegistrationRequests (PRRs) in the form of electronic documents to each and everythe manufacturer having been issued, for example, a six digit UPCManufacturer Identification Number (MIN) by the UCC, Inc. Suchelectronic documents can be transmitted using conventional MIMEprotocols such as, for example, STMP. The Product Registration Requestdocument would seek to ascertain from the manufacturers the variousinformation items (including the menu of URLs) identified in the IPIRegistrant Database of FIG. 4A 1. In response to the ProductRegistration Request, each solicited manufacturer would send back to theadministrator of the IPI Registrant Database (for each of its consumerproducts) its UPC number and a menu of categorized URLs indicating thelocation of the information resources identified in the ProductRegistration Request document. This information can then be used toreadily construct the IPI Registrant Database of the illustrativeembodiment.

According to a second database construction technique, a globaladvertising campaign would launched (over various media) in order tosolicit the various information elements identified in the IPIRegistrant Database of FIG. 4A 1 and thus register the products of themanufacturers selling UPC-labeled products. Preferably, such informationwould be collected by way of an electronic data transfer subsystem(s)set-up to cooperate with the system of the present invention in order tofacilitate database construction operations.

According to a third database construction technique, the IPI systemitself would continuously solicit consumer product registrations overtime in order to collect information from companies responding favorablyto the solicitations. While such solicitation efforts can involve theissuance of product registration requests using various types of media,it is preferred that the information collection operations are carriedout using electronic data transfer techniques (e.g. ftp, EDI or XML/ICE)described hereinabove.

According to a fourth database construction technique, a number ofcommercial on-line Internet search engines, such as AltaVista™, Yahoo™,WebCrawler™, Lycos™, Excite™, as well as powerful off-lineparallel-processing search engines, would be enlisted to analyze (i.e.mine) information on the WWW in order to collect and link theinformation elements specified in the IPI Registrant Database of FIG. 4A1.

Once an “initial” IPI Registrant Database has been constructed using anyone or more of the four database construction techniques describedhereinabove, manufacturers registered therewith can be periodicallycontacted using Web-based electronic document (i.e. message) transfertechniques in order to request updating and confirmation of the UPN/URLlistings contained within the database of the IPI subsystem of thepresent invention.

According to a fifth database and preferred construction technique ofthe present invention, the Registrant IPI Database of the system wouldbe initially “seeded” with several items of information obtained andrelated without the assistance of manufacturers of UPC-labeled products.Such information items include: (1) the six digit UPC ManufacturerIdentification Numbers encoded in the UPC symbols (and numbers) appliedto the products of such UCC-registered manufacturers; and (2) the URLsof the Web home pages of such manufacturers.

The first step of this database construction method involves obtainingthe six digit Manufacturer Identification Numbers (MINs) uniquely issuedto manufacturers by the Uniform Code Council, Inc. of Dayton, Ohio. SuchMINs can be obtained from various commercial sources including GEInformation Services, QRS, Inc. formerly Quick Response Services, Inc.),as well as the UCC. At present, about 180,000 ManufacturersIdentification Numbers have been issued to manufacturers by the UCC. Astring of six zeros (i.e. 000000) may be added to each one of these180,000 or so six digit Manufacturer Identification Numbers in order toproduce 180,000 or so 12 digit numbers (i.e. hereinafter referred to as“Manufacturer's Reference Numbers) for the 180,000 or so manufacturerslisted in the IPI Registrant Database under construction. As each suchManufacturer Reference Number has the same length as a UPC number of itsmanufacturer, this number can be conveniently thought of as the“Manufacturer Reference UPC Number” which can be stored in the UPNInformation Field of the Database along with the correspondingmanufacturers name being stored in the Company Name Information Field.

The second step of the method involves finding the URL of the Web homepage of each of the 180,000 or so manufacturers who, to date, have beenassigned a Manufacturers Identification Code and are listed in theDatabase. Such URL information can be found using a number of availabletechniques: (i) using a commercially available search engine to searchthe WWW in order to find the URL of the home page of each manufacturer'sWeb-site, if it has one, using the name and address thereof obtainedduring the first step above; or (ii) using a commercially available(INTERNIC-enabled) Domain Name search service that uses the names andaddresses of the manufacturers (obtained during the first step above) inorder to determine whether a particular manufacturer has a registereddomain name on the Internet, and if so, is the domain name beingactively used in a URL that points to the home page of themanufacturer's Web-site. Once obtained, such URLs are then added to theIPI Database, along with the e-mail and/or other address of themanufacturer symbolically linked thereto (if available).

Having constructed the “seeded” Database, it can then be used to connectthe client subsystem of users to the home page of Web-sites ofmanufacturers of particular products. Initially, when an Internet userprovides the UPC number of a particular product as input to the InputBox of the HTML form displayed in the information display frame of theclient subsystem (e.g. when operated in its Manufacturer Website SearchMode), then the IPD Server need only compare the first six digits of theentered UPC number against the first six-digits of the ManufacturerReference UPC Numbers (i.e. Manufacture Identification Numbers) listedin the “seeded” Database. The corresponding (home-page) URL of thematching manufacturer is returned to the client subsystem Ca fordisplay. In instances of an initially seeded Database, in which only the“Manufacturer Reference UPC Numbers” are listed therein, the requestingclient subsystems are provided with the URLs of the home pages of thesymbolically linked manufacturers. Then as manufacturers begin toregister their consumer products with the system (e.g. in response tomass e-mailings, advertisements and/or marketing and promotionalefforts, etc.), the IPD Database will return a menu of “hot-linked”URLs, for each registered product, pointing to various types ofproduct-related information resources on the Internet (described above)that can be easily accessed by simply clicking thereon in a conventionalmanner. Over time, Manufacturer Reference UPC Numbers and the URLs ofthe “home pages” of such manufacturers will become replaced by the UPCnumbers of registered products and the menu of URLs on the WWWsymbolically linked thereto by the manufacturers, thereby allowingconsumers and users of the system to precisely pinpoint consumerproduct-related information on the WWW which has been specified by themanufacturer, its marketing department and/or advertising agency. Withmanufacturer's and advertiser's participation and feedback, theinitially seeded RDBMS described hereinabove will quickly grow into arobust RDBMS richly filled with the various information items describedin FIGS. 4A1 and 4A2, including the symbolically linked UPCs and URLsthat point to very specific consumer product related informationresources (i.e. files) stored within IPI Servers of the system locatedacross the global expanse of the Internet.

According to a sixth database construction technique of the presentinvention, the Registrant IPI Database of the system would beconstructed by allowing each manufacturer to construct a limited orrestricted version of the master UPN/URL Database (i.e. Registrant IPIDatabase) of the system, wherein only UPC-encoded products of theregistered manufacturer and Web-based information items related theretoare entered into the database. As will be described in greater detailherebelow in connection with the third method of Product Registration inthe subsystem hereof, the creation of such limited-version UPN/URLdatabases can be carried out by providing each registered manufacturerwith a computer program that allows its administrators to construct andmanage a limited UPN/URL database in a “turn-key” manner. Also, from itsWebsite, the manufacturer can serve the limited UPN/URL database overthe Internet to consumers. As part of the registration process, eachregistered manufacturer transmits its limited UPN/URL database toWeb-server 30 which then integrates all such databases in order toupdate the master UPN/URL database (IPI Registrant Database) of thesystem.

Methods of Constructing UPN-Encoded Server-Side and Client Side Appletsand Distributing The HTML Tags Associated Therewith to Remote ClientSubsystems for Embedding Within HTML-Encoded Documents to be PublishedOver the Internet in Connection With UPN-Labeled Consumer Products

In general, for each system architecture shown in FIGS. 2B 1 through2B4, there will be a different Applet-driven method used to accessconsumer product related information (e.g. UPN/URL links, trademark/URLlinks, etc.) from the RDBMS server 9 and display the search resultswithin a Java-based GUI at the point of presence of the consumer using aJava-enabled client machine 13. In order to practice these differentmethods, in various e-commerce related applications which will bedescribed in greater detail hereinafter, it will be helpful to constructeither server-side or client-side UPN-encoded CPIR-enabling Applets,distribute the HTML tags associated therewith to remote clientsubsystems, and thereafter embed these CPIR-enabling Applet tags withinHTML-encoded documents for publishing over the Internet. SuchCPIR-enabling Applet construction, distribution and embedding methodswill now be described in detail hereinbelow.

The First Applet-Driven Method of Accessing and Displaying CategorizedUPN/URL Link Menus from the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem thePresent Invention

After providing a brief overview on the system architecture of FIG. 2B 1and the nature of the server-side CPIR-enabling Applets deployedtherewithin, The steps associated with Applet-driven CPI-acquisitionmethod of the first illustrative embodiment will be described in detailwith reference to FIGS. 4E 1, 4E2, 4F1 and 4F2.

In general, the method of FIGS. 4E1 and 4E2 involves using a server-sideCPIR-enabling Applet to automatically conduct a UPN-directed search onthe UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9 hereof (i.e. RDBMS server 9)in response to a single mouse-clicking operation by the consumer on theHTML tag associated with the server-side Applet. In the illustrativeembodiment, the CPIR-enabling servlet of the present invention is aprogram written in the Java™ programming language and has an HTML tag(indicated by <SERVLET>) which is designed to be included in an HTMLpage, much in the same way an image can be included therewithin(according to the HTML 3.2 Specification).

CPIR-enabling servlets of the present invention are designed to workwithin a request/response processing model, as shown in FIG. 2B 1. Inthis request/response model, a client subsystem 13 sends a requestmessage to the Java Web Server 11′ and the Server 11′ responds bysending back a reply message. In the illustrative embodiment, requestscome in the form of http, although is understood that the use of otherprotocols such as ftp, EDI or a custom protocol, may be possible inparticular embodiments. The request and the corresponding responsereflect the state of the client and the server at the time of therequest.

When using a Java-enabled browser to view a Web page containing aserver-side CPIR-enabling Applet tag <SERVLET>, the servlet's compiledclass code is automatically accessed from the Java Web Server 11′ andexecuted on the server-side of the network connection illustrated inFIG. 2B 1. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2B 1, the Java Web Server 11′ mustprovide a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for running/executing Java servletson the server-side of the network in much the same way that a clientbrowser must provide a JVM for running Java Applets on the client sidethereof. Additionally, the Java Web browser 11′ must also support theJava Servlet API, developed by JavaSoft, and define how and when theservlet communicates with the Java Web Server. Essentially, the ServletAPI is a well-defined set of function calls (i.e. set of Java classes)to get information to and from the Java Web Server. The servlet needs tobe able to access server-defined variables, issue redirects, send errormessages and the like. Sun's Java Web Server supports the Servlet APIand, of course, includes their JVM.

As shown in FIG. 2B 1, the Java Web Server 11′ includes a number ofsoftware components including the Java Servlet API which comprisesseveral Java interfaces and fully defines the link between the hostingserver (e.g. Java Web Server) and the servlets located at the middletier. The Servlet API is defined as an extension to the standard JDK.This means that there is an explicit definition of servlet interfaces,but it is not part of the Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.1 or the Java 2platform. Instead, the servlet classes are delivered with the JavaServlet Development Kit (JSDK) version 2.0 from Sun(http://java.sun.com/products/servlet/). This JSDK version is intendedfor use with both JDK 1.1 and the Java 2 platform. There are a fewsignificant differences between JSDK 2.0 and JSDK 1.0.

JDK extensions are packaged under javax—the root of the Java extensionlibrary tree. The Java Servlet API contains the following packages:Package javax.servlet; and Package javax.servlet.http dedicated tosupporting HTTP protocol and HTML generation. The Servlet API provides atight link between a server and servlets, allowing servlets to add newprotocol support to a server. Essentially, any protocol (e.g. SMTP, POP,FTP, etc.) that follows a request/response computing model can beimplemented by a servlet.

General servlet support is provided by the package “javax.servlet” whichcomprises the following components:

-   (1) Servlet: An interface that defines communication between a web    server and a servlet. This interface defines the init( ), service(    ), and destroy( ) methods (and a few others).-   (2) ServletConfig: An interface that describes the configuration    parameters for a servlet. This is passed to the servlet when the web    server calls its init( ) method. Note that the servlet should save    the reference to the ServletConfig object, and define a    getServletConfig( ) method to return it when asked. This interface    defines how to get the initialization parameters for the and the    context under which the servlet is running.-   (3) ServletContext: An interface that describes how a servlet can    get information about the server in which it is running. It can be    retrieved via the getServletContext( ) method of the ServletConfig    object.-   (4) ServletRequest: An interface that describes how to get    information about a client request.-   (5) ServletResponse: An interface that describes how to pass    information back to the client.-   (6) GenericServlet: A base servlet implementation. It takes care of    saving the ServletConfig object reference, and provides several    methods that delegate their functionality to the ServletConfig    object. It also provides a dummy implementation for init( ) and    destroy( ).-   (7) ServletInputStream: A subclass of InputStream used for reading    the data part of a client's request. It adds a readLine( ) method    for convenience.-   (8) ServletOutputStream: An OutputStream to which responses for the    client are written.-   (9) ServletException: Should be thrown when a servlet problem is    encountered.-   (10) UnavailableException: Should be thrown when the servlet is    unavailable for some reason.

Support for HTTP Servlets is provided by the package“javax.servlet.http” which comprises the following components:

-   (1) HttpServletRequest: A subclass of ServletRequest that defines    several methods that parse HTTP request headers.-   (2) HttpServletResponse: A subclass of ServletResponse that provides    access and interpretation of HTTP status codes and header    information.-   (3) HttpServlet: A subclass of GenericServlet that provides    automatic separation of HTTP request by method type. For example, an    HTTP GET request will be processed by the service( ) method and    passed to a doGet( ) method.-   (4) HttpUtils: A class that provides assistance for parsing HTTP GET    and POST requests.    The central abstraction in the Java Servlet API is the Servlet    interface. All servlets implement this interface, either directly or    more commonly by extending a class that implements it (e.g. such as    the HttpServlet class). The Servlet interface declares but does not    implement methods that manage the servlet and its communication with    clients. The servlet writer will provide some or all of these    methods when developing a CPIR-enabling servlet.

Having provided an overview on server-side CPIR-enabling Java Applets(i.e. Servlets) of the present invention and the support frameworkrequired thereby in a distributed-computing object oriented programmingenvironment shown in FIG. 2B 1, it is appropriate to now describe themethod of creating, loading, distributing, embedding and executingserver-side CPIR-enabling Java Applets in accordance with the principlesof the present invention schematically illustrated in FIGS. 4E 1, 4E2,4F 1 and 4F2.

As indicated at Block A1 in FIG. 4E 1, the first step of the methodinvolves using the Java Servlet API to write or otherwise author thesource code for a server-side CPIR-enabling Java Applet., for eachUPN-specified consumer product registered in the UPN/URL DatabaseManagement Subsystem 9. In general, the source code for each server-sideCPIR-enabling Java Applet (i.e. servlet) will embody one or more offollowing items of information, namely: (i) the UPN of the particularproduct on which the CPI search is to be carried out and the searchresults thereof displayed; (ii) Java classes required for performing aUPN-directed search on the RDBMS Server 9 using one or more Java methodsrunning natively on the Java Web Server 11′, and producing a particularJava GUI for displaying the results obtained from the UPN-directedsearch; and (iii) license-related information specifying the terms andconditions of the CPIR-enabling Servlet license and the conditions underwhich the CPIR-enabling servlet shall operate.

Notably, such license-related information may specify: (1) one or morespecific host domains from which a Web document containing thecorresponding servlet tag may launch the CPIR-enabling servlet under alicensing program; (2) one or more general Internet domains (e.g. .com,.org., .gov, .int, .mil, .uk, etc.) from which a Web document containingthe corresponding servlet tag may launch the CPIR-enabling servlet undera licensing program; (3) the time duration of the licensing periodassociated with the CPIR-enabling servlet; and (4) any otherrestrictions set by the associated manufacturer and/or retailer, and/oradministrator of the consumer product information system hereof, thatmust be observed for a registered CPIR-enabled servlet to operate withina Web-document served from the registered Internet domain.

Notably, the Java source code for each CPIR-enabling Servlet will varydepending upon implementation. However, regardless of the particularimplementation, it can be expected that each JDBC-supportingCPIR-enabling servlet when, for example, designed to search an (OracleJDBC-supported) UPN/URL Database Server 11A for the UPC/URL listcurrently symbolically linked to a specified UPN and display the searchresults on the requesting client machine 13, will typically include Javasource code specifying:

-   (1) the importable JDBC classes required by the CPIR-enabling    Servlet;-   (2) the importable Java classes to be used in the CPIR-enabling    Servlet;-   (3) the JDBC driver to be loaded for the Oracle-based UPN/URL    Database;-   (4) the connection strings to the UPN/URL Database;-   (5) the CPI query to be executed on the UPN/URL Database, dependent    on the UPN of the associated consumer product and possibly other    search criteria and Servlet licensing conditions;-   (6) the servlet tag, its graphical icon or alias to trigger    execution the Servlet and its associated CPI query;-   (7) the CPI Search Result GUI to be displayed on the requesting    client machine and its relative location to the associated Servlet    tag; and-   (8) the operations that will be carried out upon execution of the    CPI query including    -   Boolean search logic to be carried out upon initiation of the        UPN-directed CPI search;    -   if a new connection is required between Java Web Server and the        UPN/URL Database;    -   Loading the JDBC driver;    -   Connecting to the UPN/URL Database;    -   Creating a SQL statement based on the specified Boolean search        logic and UPN;    -   Executing the SQL query statement; and    -   Dumping the search results to the CPI Search Result GUI.

In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2B 1, a UPN-encoded Servlet is usedto replace a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script and provide a way ofsearching the UPN/URL Database on RDBMS Server 11′, with the advantageof increased speed and stability. In this instance, CPIR-enablingServlets are accessed by the user as an HTML tag <SERVLET> embedded inan HTML document served to the client subsystem 13. For example, whenthe consumer selects the servlet tag (graphically encoded by an icon orimage) in an HTML-encoded document, the linked servlet residing on theserver-side of the network, is automatically executed, causing aUPN-directed search to be carried on the RDBMS server 9.

After writing/authoring the source code for the Applet, theCPIR-enabling Java servlet is ascribed a unique name such as, forexample, “UPNXXXXYYYYYZ” for a 12 digit Uniform Product Code.

Reference can be made to the following technical publication foradditional details on writing Java servlets, designing Java GUIs and thelike: “Java Servlets and Serialization With RMI” (1999) by ScottMcPherson, published by Sun Microsystems, Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif.;“The Java™ Tutorial Second Edition: Object Oriented Programming For TheInternet” (1999), by Mary Campione and Kathy Walrath, published by SunMicrosystems, Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif.; and “The JFC Swing Tutorial: AJava Guide To Constructing JAVA GUIs” (1999), by Mary Campione and KathyWalrath, published by Sun Microsystems, Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif.;“JAVA” (1997) by Ed Tittel and Bill Brogden, published by IDG BooksWorldwide, Inc.; “Wilde's WWW: Technical Foundations of the World WideWeb” (1999) by Erik Wilde, published by Springer-Verlag, Berlin,Heidelberg each said publication being incorporated herein by reference.

As indicated at Block A2 in FIG. 4E 1, the source code for the authoredservlet is compiled into Java bytecode, and java bytecode for theservlet classfiles are placed in the server_root/servlets directory onthe Java Web Server 11′. When compiling, the javax.servlet.* packageshould be placed in the classpath. The easiest way to do this is toinclude server_root/lib/classes.zip in the classpath, but it isunderstood that one must look to the compiler's documentation forspecific details in this regard.

As indicated at Block B1 in FIG. 4E 1, the second step of the methodinvolves using the Java Server Administration Applet to configure theJava Web Server so as to extend the functionalities thereof and embody(or install) the CPIR-enabling Java servlet within the Java Web Server11′. This process of extending the functionalities of the Java WebServer 11′ involves specify the default parameters and argumentsthereof. This configuration step is carried out when using the ServletLoading facility of the Administration Applet in order. The loadingprocess is achieved by clicking on the Servlets Button, and thenselecting Add from the list of choices on the left GUI of the ServletLoading Facility. Thereafter, to add a new servlet, the followingprocedure is performed: Enter in the Servlet Name field, the unique namefor the CPIR-enabling Java servlet one is loading onto the Java WebServer (e.g. “UPNXXXXXXYYYYYZ”); Enter in the Servlet Class field, avalid class name for the Java class of the CPIR-enabling servlet, i.e.,the full package name, e.g. “sun.server.http.FileServlet”; andthereafter Click on the Add button.

As indicated at Block B2 in FIG. 4E 1, the fourth step of the methodinvolves invoking the CPIR-enabling Java servlet by creating a URLhaving the path section “/servlet/” prepended to the assigned ServletName, so that the URL can be thereafter embodied within the servlet HTMLtag <SERVLET>, prior to its insertion within the HTML code of a Webdocument. To invoke a servlet, the webmaster/administrator calls theservlet by creating a URL with “/servlet/” prepended to the servletname. One can confirm that the servlet is correctly invoked by enteringthis URL into ones Web browser and analyzing the output of the createdservlet.

As indicated at Block B3 in FIG. 4E 1, the fifth step of the methodinvolves (1) embodying the unique URL, created for each consumerproduct, within a CPIR-enabling servlet HTML tag <SERVLET>, (2)containing each such servlet HTML tag within an executable file, and (3)storing each such servlet tag containing file in the CentralCPIR-Enabling Applet Library on the RDBMS Server 9.

As indicated at Block C in FIG. 4E 2, the sixth step of the methodinvolves distributing the CPIR-enabling servlet HTML tags (within theCentral CPIR-enabling Applet Library) to retailers, wholesalers,advertisers, and others who desire to deliver UPN-directed CPI searchresults to their customers, clients and the like. This distributionprocess can be carried out by downloading servlet tag containing filesto a remote computer system connected to the Internet using, forexample, ftp or other electronic data or document interchange protocols(e.g. XML/ICE) to carry out the servlet tag transport process. Thesedownloaded CPIR-enabling servlet tags can then be stored in a localCPIR-Enabling Applet/Servlet Library maintained on a client computer 13,as shown in FIG. 4F 2, until it is time to embed the same into aparticular HTML-encoded document.

As indicated at Block D in FIG. 4E 2, the seventh step of the methodinvolves enabling retailers, wholesalers, advertisers, and others to (1)open the downloaded servlet tag containing files, (2) extract theCPIR-enabling servlet tags contained therewithin, and (3) embed (i.e.insert) one or more distributed CPIR-enabled servlets HTML tags intoacceptable HTML-encoded documents associated with EC-enabled WWW sites,EC-enabled storefronts and catalogs, Internet product advertisements,on-line auction-based WWW sites, or other types of Web-documents.

In general, this step of the method involves first creating or otherwiseprocuring a suitable HTML-encoded document which may, understandablyinclude other types of code (e.g. XML) therein, other than HTML code.While such HTML documents can be created using any HTML-editing program,such as BBD-Edit, it is expected that in most applications theunderlying HTML-encoded document will be generated using tools such as,for example: GO-LIVE® WWW-Site Development and Management solutionsoftware from Adobe Systems, Inc. to create the HTML pages associatedwith a particular WWW site; CatalogMaker™™ and CatalogManager electroniccommerce solution software programs from RealEDI, Inc; Intershop 4Enfinity” Electronic Commerce Solution software from IntershopCommunications, Inc; and/or any other commercially availableHTML-authoring tools which enable quick and easy creation ofHTML-encoded documents, and easy insertion of any downloadedCPIR-enabling servlet tag <SERVLET> using, for example, simple commandsor drag-and-drop procedures.

As indicated at Block E in FIG. 4E 2, the eighth step of the methodinvolves serving “servlet-tag” encoded HTML documents from Internetinformation servers to Java-enabled client computer subsystems 13operated by consumers at home, in the office, in EC-enabled or “brickand mortar” retail stores, or on the road, as the case may be. As shownin FIG. 4F, such Internet information servers can include, for example,IPI servers 12, retailer-related EC-enabled information servers 12A,manufacturer-related EC-enabled information servers 12B, and/or anyother Internet (http or ftp) information servers operating on theInternet from which HTML-encoded document are served for anyinformational, educational, and/or entertainment purpose.

As indicated at Block F in FIG. 4E 2, the ninth step of the methodhereof involves using a Java-enabled client computer subsystems 13 todisplay served HTML-encoded documents having one or more ofCPIR-enabling servlet tags embedded therewithin. This step is carriedout by the consumer pointing his or her Java-enabled browser program(e.g. Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Explorer, or Sun Microsystems'HotJava program) to an HTML-encoded document within which aCPIR-enabling Java servlet tag is embedded, at a particular point ofpresence on the WWW. As shown in FIGS. 4M1 through 4R2, CPIR-enablingApplets can be graphically-encoded in an variety of different ways toprovide the consumer with a visual indication that, clicking on thegraphical object however manifested, will automatically result in aconsumer product information search on a particular product identifiedby the UPN encoded within the associated servlet. In view of the factthe CPIR-enabling servlet tags are distributed over the Internet andinserted within HTML documents by others than the servlet author, atsome future date, graphical encoding of CPIR-enabling servlets willtypically occur at the time of writing the servlet.

With the above point in mind, it will be helpful to adopt a standardizedicon for graphically indicating the presence of a CPIR-enabling servlettag within an HTML document. In the illustrative embodiments shown inFIGS. 4P1, 4P2, 4R1, 4R2, 4S1, and 4S2, small predefined images ofservicemarks such as “GO: UPC Request Cyber-Service™ URL Search” areserved to inform the consumer that the Java object, if selected from thedisplayed Web page, will automatically cause a product-specific URLsearch to be performed with respect to the particular consumer productand the results thereof displayed at the “point of presence” of theconsumer who may be residing at a particular point in an EC-enabledstore (e.g. at the check-out display screen or POS), at on-line auctionsite, at a Web-based product advertisement, or anywhere else on the WWW.Notably, an important advantage provided by this information searchtechnique of the present invention is that it does not disturb theconsumer at his or her point of presence (or sale), where ever that maybe. Instead, the CPI search and display method hereof enables thedelivery of accurate product-specific manufacturer-defined informationat precise points in Cyberspace by performing a single mouse-clickingoperation. This enables consumers to make informed decisions thereatbased on the information displayed in the corresponding Java GUIgenerated upon launching a CPIR-enabling servlet at the consumer's pointof presence on the WWW.

It is understood, however, that other techniques may be used to create avisual indication to the consumer that a CPIR-enabling Applet is locatedat a particular point on the WWW and that if this Applet is executed(e.g. by a single mouse-clicking operation), then a UPN-directedconsumer product information search will be automatically executed andthe results therefrom will be displayed within a Java GUI at theconsumer's point of presence.

One alternative technique would be to embed within the CPIR-enablingApplet, a thumb-nail or large size photo-image of the consumer productbeing offered for sale, lease, auction, or other purpose on the WWW.Notably, this product image any reside on the RDBMS server 9, or on thehttp server from which the HTML-encoded document is served. Using thistechnique, the consumer need only click on the image to initiate aUPN-directed consumer product information search against the UPN/URLDatabase Management Subsystem 9 hereof.

Notably, the person or persons responsible for delivering productadvertisements to particular locations on one or more WWW sites can usethe OPEN ADSTREAM™ (OAS) 5.0 Internet Advertisement Management Solutionsoftware from Real Media, Inc., of New York, N.Y., and any othersuitable software solution, running on the Internet (http) informationserver (12, 12′, 12A or 12B), and managed using an Web-enabled clientsubsystem 13, as shown in FIG. 4F 1. Using the OAS 5.0 advertisementmanagement solution, and the CPI search and display method of presentinvention described above, a webmaster or advertising manager assignedto a particular Internet information server (12, 12′, 12A or 12B) can:(1) access the Web-based product advertisement for a particular product(i.e. HTML code, image files, and any other rich media contentassociated therewith); (2) access previously downloaded CPIR-enablingJava servlet(s) for the consumer product, stored in a locally-maintained“Library (i.e. Catalog) of CPIR-Enabling Applets” on a client machine orserver on the network, or directly access CPIR-enabling Java servletsfrom the centrally-maintained “Library (i.e. Catalog) of CPIR-EnablingApplets” illustrated in FIG. 4F 1, via the Java Web Server 11′; and (3)use Real Media's OAS 5.0 solution software deliver both the Web-basedproduct advertisement (i.e. its HTML code and other media-rich content)and the corresponding CPIR-enabling Applet tag (and possibly any imagefiles associated therewith) to a designated section on a particular Webpage of a specific WWW-site.

It is understood that there are different ways of inserting/embeddingboth of these objects within a particular section of an HTML-encodeddocument using the highly-advanced HTML-editing functionalities of theOAS 5.0 software system. For example, the Web-based productadvertisement can be inserted within a first spatially-defined portionof the target HTML document (occupying the largest portion of thepurchased Internet advertising space), while the CPIR-enablingserver-side Applet (i.e. servlet) is inserted within a secondspatially-defined portion of the target HTML document occupying thebalance of the purchased Internet advertising space. Alternatively, boththe CPIR-enabling Applet and the Web-based product advertisement can beinserted within substantially same spatially-defined portion of thetarget HTML document so as to achieve spatial overlap therebetween. Thisway when the consumer clicks on the advertisement image, or somepreselected portion thereof, the underlying CPIR-enabling servlet willbe automatically executed and the corresponding Java GUI generated fordisplaying the results of the UPN-directed database search.

In situations where the Internet product advertisement (e.g. banneradvertisement) embodies a servlet HTML tag which, when executed,produces a new Java GUI (i.e. new browser interface), then aCPIR-enabling servlet can be embedded within the HTML-encoded documentdisplayed in the new Java GUI. This servlet tag embedding technique willbe useful in many applications where the display space allocated for theWeb advertisement in the target HTML-encoded document is limited, andthere is a need to generate a new Java GUI for presenting the content ofthe advertisement.

Other ways of embedding the Web-based advertisement and the relatedCPIR-enabling servlet tags will become apparent hereinafter to thoseskilled in the art having had the benefit of reading the presentdisclosure.

As indicated at Block G in FIG. 4E 2, the tenth step in the methodinvolves the consumer recognizing that a CPIR-enabling servlet tag isembedded within a Web-document displayed on a Java-enabled clientcomputer subsystem, and thereafter launching/executing the associatedservlet to initiate a UPN-directed consumer product information searchwithin the RDBMS server 9.

Notably, the above illustrative embodiment has been described withparticular focus given to CPIR-enabling servlets encoded with the UPN ofa particular consumer product. It is understood, however, that theCPIR-enabling servlets of the present invention can be encoded with thetrademark(s) used in connection with a particular consumer product, thusproviding Trademark-encoded CPIR-enabling servlets, in contrast withUPN-encoded CPIR-enabling servlets. In such alternative embodiments, theencoded trademark would be used to direct a search through the RDBMSserver 9, and display the results thereof in a new (independent) JavaGUI generated at the point of servlet tag embodiment. Alternatively, aproduct descriptor associated with a particular product can be encodedwithin the corresponding CPIR-enabling servlet, used to direct a searchthrough the RDBMS server 9, and display the results thereof in anindependent Java GUI generated at the point of servlet tag embodiment.

The Second Applet-Driven Method of Accessing And Displaying CategorizedUPN/URL Link Menus from the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem thePresent Invention

After providing a brief overview on the system architecture of FIG. 2B 2and the nature of the client-side CPIR-enabling Applets deployedtherewithin, the steps associated with Applet-driven CPI-acquisitionmethod of the second illustrative embodiment will be described in detailwith reference to FIGS. 4G1, 4G2, 4H1 and 4H2.

In general, the method of FIGS. 4G1 and 4G2 involves using a client-sideCPIR-enabling Applet to automatically conduct a UPN-directed search onthe UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem hereof (i.e. RDBMS server 9)in response to a single mouse-clicking operation by the consumer on theHTML tag associated with the CPIR-enabling Applet. In the illustrativeembodiment, the CPIR-enabling Applet of the present invention is aprogram written in the Java™ programming language and has an HTML tag(indicated by <APPLET>) which is designed to be included in an HTMLpage, much in the same way an image can be included therewithin(according to the HTML 3.2 Specification).

CPIR-enabling Applets of the present invention are designed to workwithin a request/response processing model, as shown in FIG. 2B 2. Inthis request/response model, a client subsystem 13 sends a requestmessage to the Java Web Server 11″ and the Server 11″ responds bysending back a reply message. In the illustrative embodiment, requestscome in the form of http, although is understood that the use of otherprotocol as such as ftp, EDI or a custom protocol, may be possible inparticular embodiments. The request and the corresponding responsereflect the state of the client and the server at the time of therequest.

When using a Java-enabled browser to view a Web page containing aclient-side CPIR-enabling Applet tag <APPLET>, the Applet's compiledclass code is automatically accessed from the Java Web Server 11″ andexecuted on the client-side of the network connection illustrated inFIG. 2B 2. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2B 2, the Java-enabled client machine13 in this network architecture must run a Java-enabled browser programthat provides a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for running/executing JavaApplets on the client-side of the network in much the same way that JavaWeb Server 11″ must provide a JVM for running Java servlets on theserver side thereof, as shown in FIG. 2B 1.

As shown in FIG. 2B 2, the Java-enabled Web browser 13 includes a numberof software components including Java interfaces for fully defining thelink between the Java Web browser and the Applets located at the middletier. In order to write, compile and load Applets onto the Java WebServer 11″, the system administrator or webmaster can use the Java APIprovided for within the Java 2 (development) platform from JavaSoft, adivision of Sun Microsystems, Inc. This platform also supports The APIspecification of the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition, version 1.2.2,comprises the following Packages:

-   (1) java.applet: Provides the classes necessary to create an applet    and the classes an applet uses to communicate with its applet    context.-   (2) java.awt: Contains all of the classes for creating user    interfaces and for painting graphics and images.-   (3) java.awt.color: Provides classes for color spaces.-   (4) java.awt.datatransfer: Provides interfaces and classes for    transferring data between and within applications.-   (5) java.awt.dnd: Drag and Drop is a direct manipulation gesture    found in many Graphical User Interface systems that provides a    mechanism to information between two entities logically associated    with presentation elements in the GUI.-   (6) java.awt.event: Provides interfaces and classes for dealing with    different types of events fired by AWT components.-   (7) java.awt.font: Provides classes and interface relating to fonts.-   (8) java.awt.geom: Provides the Java 2D classes for defining and    performing operations on objects related to two-dimensional    geometry.-   (9) java.awt.im: Provides classes and an interface for the input    method framework.-   (10) java.awt.image: Provides classes for creating and modifying    images.-   (11) java.awt.image.renderable: Provides classes and interfaces for    producing rendering-independent images.-   (12) java.awt.print: Provides classes and interfaces for a general    printing API.-   (13) java.beans: Contains classes related to Java Beans development.-   (14) java.beans.beancontext: Provides classes and interfaces    relating to bean context.-   (15) java.io: Provides for system input and output through data    streams, serialization and the file system.-   (16) java.lang: Provides classes that are fundamental to the design    of the Java programming language.-   (17) java.lang.ref: Provides reference-object classes, which support    a limited degree of interaction with the garbage collector.-   (18) java.lang.reflect: Provides classes and interfaces for    obtaining reflective information about classes and objects.-   (19) java.math: Provides classes for performing arbitrary-precision    integer arithmetic (BigInteger) and arbitrary-precision decimal    arithmetic (BigDecimal).-   (20) java.net: Provides the classes for implementing networking    applications.-   (21) java.rmi: Provides the RMI package.-   (22) java.rmi.activation: Provides support for RMI Object    Activation.-   (23) java.rmi.dgc: Provides classes and interface for RMI    distributed garbage-collection (DGC).-   (24) java.rmi.registry: Provides a class and two interfaces for the    RMI registry.-   (25) java.rmi.server: Provides classes and interfaces for supporting    the server side of RMI.-   (26) java.security: Provides the classes and interfaces for the    security framework.-   (27) java.security.acl: The classes and interfaces in this package    have been superseded by classes in the java.security package.-   (28) java.security.cert: Provides classes and interfaces for parsing    and managing certificates.-   (29) java.security.interfaces: Provides interfaces for generating    RSA (Rivest, Shamir and Adleman AsymmetricCipher algorithm) keys as    defined in the RSA Laboratory Technical Note PKCS#1, and DSA    (Digital Signature Algorithm) keys as defined in NIST's FIPS-186.-   (30) java.security.spec: Provides classes and interfaces for key    specifications and algorithm parameter specifications.-   (31) java.sql: Provides the JDBC package.-   (32) java.text: Provides classes and interfaces for handling text,    dates, numbers and messages in a manner independent of natural    languages.-   (33) java.util: Contains the collections framework, legacy    collection classes, event model, date and time facilities,    internationalization, and miscellaneous utility classes (a string    tokenizer, a random-number generator, and a bit array).-   (34) java.util.jar: Provides classes for reading and writing the JAR    (Java ARchive) file format, which is based on the standard ZIP file    format with an optional manifest file.-   (35) java.util.zip: Provides classes for reading and writing the    standard ZIP and GZIP file formats.-   (36) javax.accessibility: Defines a contract between user-interface    components and an assistive technology that provides access to those    components.-   (37) javax.swing: Provides a set of “lightweight” (all-Java    language) components that, to the maximum degree possible, work the    same on all platforms.-   (38) javax.swing.border: Provides classes and interface for drawing    specialized borders around a Swing component.-   (39) javax.swing.colorchooser: Contains classes and interfaces used    by the Jcolor Chooser component.-   (40) javax.swing.event: Provides for events fired by Swing    components.-   (41) javax.swing.filechooser: Contains classes and interfaces used    by the JfileChooser component.-   (42) javax.swing.plaf: Provides one interface and many abstract    classes that Swing uses to provide its pluggable look-and-feel    capabilities.-   (43) javax.swing.plaf basic: Provides user interface objects built    according to the Basic look-and-feel.-   (44) javax.swing.plafinetal: Provides user interface objects built    according to the “metal” look-and-feel.-   (45) javax.swing.plaf.multi: The multiplexing look and feel allows    users to combine auxiliary look and feels with the default look and    feel.-   (46) javax.swing.table: Provides classes and interfaces for dealing    with java.awt.swing.JTable.-   (47) javax.swing.text: Provides classes and interfaces that deal    with editable and noneditable text components.-   (48) javax.swing.text.html: Provides the class HTMLEditorKit and    supporting classes for creating HTML text editors.-   (49) javax.swing.text.html.parser-   (50) javax.swing.text.rtf: Provides a class (RTFEditorKit) for    creating Rich-Text-Format text editors.-   (51) javax.swing.tree: Provides classes and interfaces for dealing    with java.awt.swing.JTree.-   (52) javax.swing.undo: Provides support for undo/redo capabilities    in an application such as a text editor.-   (53) org.omg.CORBA: Provides the mapping of the OMG CORBA APIs to    the JavaTM programming language, including the class ORB, which is    implemented so that a programmer can use it as a fully-functional    Object Request Broker (ORB).-   (54) org.omg.CORBA.DynAnyPackage: Provides the exceptions used with    the DynAny interface (InvalidValue, Invalid, InvalidSeq, and    TypeMismatch).-   (55) org.omg.CORBA.ORBPackage: Provides the exception InvalidName,    which is thrown by the InconsistentTypeCode, which is thrown by the    Dynamic Any creation methods in the ORB class.-   (56) org.omg.CORBA.portable: Provides a portability layer, that is,    a set of ORB APIs that makes it possible for code generated by one    vendor to run on another vendor's ORB.-   (57) org.omg.CORBA.TypeCodePackage: Provides the user-defined    exceptions BadKind and Bounds, which are thrown by methods in the    class TypeCode.-   (58) org.omg.CosNaming: Provides the naming service for Java IDL.-   (59) org.omg.CosNaming.NamingContextPackage: Provides the exceptions    used in the package org.omg.CosNaming (AlreadyBound, CannotProceed,    InvalidName, NotEmpty, and NotFound) and also the Helper and Holder    classes for those exceptions.

Having provided an overview on client-side CPIR-enabling Java Applets ofthe present invention and the support framework required thereby in adistributed-computing object oriented programming environment shown inFIG. 2B 2, it is appropriate to now describe, the method of creating,loading, distributing, embedding and executing client-side CPIR-enablingJava Applets in accordance with the principles of the present inventionschematically illustrated in FIGS. 4G1, 4G2, 4H1 and 4H2.

As indicated at Block A1 in FIG. 4G 1, the first step of the methodinvolves using the Java Applet API to write or otherwise author thesource code for a client-side CPIR-enabling Java Applet for eachUPN-specified consumer product registered in the RDBMS server 9. Ingeneral, the source code for each client-side CPIR-enabling Java Applet(i.e. Applet) will embody one or more of following items of information:(i) the UPN of the particular product on which the CPI-based search isto be carried out and the search results thereof displayed; (ii) Javaclasses required for performing a UPN-directed search on the RDBMSserver 9 using a CGI script executing on the Java Web Server 11″, andproducing a particular Java GUI for displaying the results obtained fromthe UPN-directed search; and (iii) license-related informationspecifying the terms and conditions of the CPIR-enabling Applet licenseand conditions under which the CPIR-enabling Applet shall operate.

Notably, such license-related information may specify: (1) one or morespecific host domains from which a Web document containing thecorresponding Applet tag may launch the CPIR-enabling Applet under alicensing program; (2) one or more general Internet domains (e.g. .com,.org., .gov, .int, .mil, .uk, etc.) from which a Web document containingthe corresponding Applet tag may launch the CPIR-enabling Applet under alicensing program; (3) the time duration of the licensing periodassociated with the CPIR-enabling Applet; and (4) any other restrictionsset by the associated manufacturer and/or retailer, and/or administratorof the consumer product information system of the present invention,that must be satisfied for a registered CPIR-enabled Applet to operatewithin a Web-document.

Notably, the Java source code for each CPIR-enabling Applet will varydepending upon implementation. However, regardless of the particularimplementation, it can be expected that each CPIR-enabling Appletdesigned, for example, to search an (Oracle-based JDBC) RDBMS Server 9for a current categorized UPC/URL list/menu symbolically linked to aspecified UPN and thereafter display the results in an independent JavaGUI, will typically include Java source code specifying:

-   (1) the importable JDBC classes required by the CPIR-enabling    Applet;-   (2) the importable Java classes to be used in the CPIR-enabling    Applet;-   (3) the JDBC driver to be loaded for the Oracle-based RDBMS server    9;-   (4) the connection strings to the RDBMS server 9;-   (5) the CPI query to be executed on the UPN/URL Database, dependent    on the UPN of the associated consumer product and possibly other    search criteria and Applet licensing conditions;-   (6) the Applet tag, its graphical icon or alias to trigger execution    the Applet and its associated CPI query;-   (7) the CPI Search Result GUI to be displayed on requesting client    and its relative location to the associated applet tag; and-   (8) the operations that will be carried out upon execution of the    CPI query including    -   Boolean search logic to be carried out upon initiation of the        UPN-directed CPI search;    -   if a new connection is required between Java Web Server 11″ and        the RDBMS server 9;    -   Loading the JDBC driver;    -   Connecting to the RDBMS server 9;    -   Creating a SQL statement based on the specified Boolean search        logic and UPN;    -   Executing the SQL query statement; and        -   Dumping the search results to the CPI Search Result GUI.

When using earlier versions of the HTML Specification (i.e. HTML 3.2 bythe World Wide Web Consortium), the source code for each CPIR-enablingJava Applet would adhere to the following general syntax: [CODEBASE =codebaseURL] CODE −appletFile [ALT = alternateText] [NAME =appletInstanceName] WIDTH = pixels HEIGHT = pixels [ALIGN = alignment][VSPACE = pixels] [HSPACE = pixels] > [<PARAM NAME = Attribute1 VALUE =value >] [<PARAM NAME = Attribute2 VALUE = value >] ... [alternateHTML]</APPLET>wherein the set of brackets [ ] indicates optional parameters within theHTML 3.2 Specification.

The optional <PARAM> tag lets you to specify applet-specific attributesthat your applet can retrieve as Strings. These Strings can be used inan HTML document to customize the Applet's behavior and supply theirrespective values in command-line variables.

CODEBASE, CODE, WIDTH, and HEIGHT are attributes specified by the firstpart of the <APPLET> tag. The Java-enabled Web browser 13 uses theseattributes to locate the CPIR-enabling Applet code on the Java WebServer 11″ and to indicate the amount of space to be reserved in thetarget HTML document during display. CODEBASE directs the Java-enabledWeb browser to look for code in the classes directory of the Java WebServer 11″. The mandatory parameter CODE provides the name of the Javacode file that is to be loaded from the Java Web Server 11″. Any otherclass files used by the Applet are loaded from the Codebase Directory aswell.

WIDTH and HEIGHT are attributes that tell the Java-enabled Web browserto reserve space in the document display before the Java code is loaded(“x” pixels wide by “x” pixels high), similar to the way browsers dealwith images, reserving space before the complete image is available. Toplace an invisible Applet on a page, specify height and width of zero.

Current Java-enabled Web browsers ignore the Java language resize( )method for applets. Although the applet viewer provided in the JDKresponds to the resize( ) method, one will have to specify width andheight correctly in the CPIR-enabling APPLET tag for general Webbrowsers.

VSPACE and HSPACE are attributes for specifying the amount of space (inpixels) that surrounds the CPIR-enabling Applet above and below (vspace)and on each side (hspace) of the Applet area.

ALIGN is another attribute used to designate where the Java-enabled Webbrowser is to place the Applet area in relation to any other designelements. ALIGN can have possible values like those for the IMG tag:left, right, top, texttop, middle, absmiddle, baseline, bottom, andabsbottom.

Notably, the optional parameters ALIGN, VSPACE and HSPACE may be seteither at the time of CPIR-enabling Applet creation (i.e. when writingthe source code therefor), or at the latter time such as, for example,after compiling and loading the Java class code on the Java Web Server,after downloading CPIR-enabling Applet tag files, or after extractingCPIR-enabling Applets, but prior to embedding the CPIR-enabling Applettag within a HTML-encoded document. Thus, these optional parametersenable the Web page, EC-commerce site and auction site designer tomodify (after Java class code compiling and loading operations, butbefore Applet tag insertion/embedding operations) certain parameters andattributes within each CPIR-enabling Applet tag that determine theprecise location where the Java-enabled browser on the client machine 13will display the CPIR-enabling Applet and its associated image graphicson the browser display screen.

The ALT attribute designates a string to be displayed if the browserunderstands the <APPLET> tag but does not have Java capabilities.Netscape 2.0 allows turning the Java interpreter on or off via a checkbox under Options on the Security Preferences menu. The ALT attribute isa way to remind users to turn Java back on after turning it off to avoidwasting time on slow applets (as can often occur on Web pages).

CPIR-enabling Applets that coexist on the same Web page communicate bymeans of the NAME attribute. The AppletContext method getApplet(Stringname) returns a reference to the named Applet if it can be found in theWeb page and then allows communication between Applets in theconventional sense.

The PARAM tag is used in transferring text information to the Appletcode by way of the getParameter(String param_name) applet method. Sincethe parameter-matching code is not case sensitive and quote marks areparsed out, the following tags are equivalent: <PARAM name = EMAIL<param NAME = EMAIL <param name = “email”

Between the last <PARAM> tag and the </APPLET> tag, text and HTML codecan be designated for display if the Web browser of a particular clientsystem cannot recognize the <APPLET> tag. Notably, the content of theApplet tag acts as alternate information for client subsystems that donot support this element or are currently configured not to supportApplets. Otherwise, the content of the Applet must be ignored.

The final element of the Applet tag must be </applet> in order to tellthe Web browser that the Applet has ended.

Notably, in the HTML 4.0 Specification, published by the World Wide WebConsortium, the Applet element has been deprecated in favor of theOBJECT element, which offers an all purpose solution to generic objectinclusion. The HTML 4.0 Specification now allows the OBJECT element toinclude images (via the <IMG> tag) and Applets (via the <APPLET> tag) inthe same manner. Thus, when constructing Web documents and CPIR-enablingApplets in accordance with the HTML 4.0 Specification, the source codefor each CPIR-enabling Applet will adhere to an entirely differentsyntax, the details of which are set forth which in the HTML 4.0Specification, supra, are incorporated herein by reference.

For additional details pertaining to Java Applet construction, embeddingtechniques and Java GUI design and development, reference can be made tothe following technical publications: “JAVA” (1997) by Ed Tittel andBill Brogden, published by IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.; “Wilde's WWW:Technical Foundations of the World Wide Web” (1999) by Erik Wilde,published by Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg; “The Java™ TutorialSecond Edition: Object Oriented Programming For The Internet” (1999), byMary Campione and Kathy Walrath, published by Sun Microsystems, Inc., ofPalo Alto, Calif.; and “The JFC Swing Tutorial: A Java Guide ToConstructing JAVA GUIs” (1999), by Mary Campione and Kathy Walrath,published by Sun Microsystems, Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif.; each saidpublication being incorporated herein by reference.

After writing/authoring the source code for the Applet, theCPIR-enabling Java Applet is ascribed a unique name such as, forexample, “UPNXXXXXXYYYYYZ” for a 12 digit Uniform Product Code.

As indicated at Block A2 in FIG. 4G 1, the second step of the methodinvolves compiling the source code of the Applet into Java bytecode, andthen placing/loading the classfiles for the Applet within theserver_root/Applets directory on the Java Web Server 11″.

As indicated at Block B1 in FIG. 4G 1, the third step of the methodinvolves for each UPN-specified consumer product, (1) containing thecomplete Applet HTML tag <APPLET> within an executable file, and (2)storing each such Applet tag containing file in the CentralCPIR-Enabling Applet Library on the RDBMS server 9, as shown in FIG. 4H1.

As indicated at Block C in FIG. 4G 1, the fourth step of the methodinvolves distributing the CPIR-enabling Applet HTML tags to retailers,wholesalers, advertisers, and others who desire to deliver UPN-directedCPI search results to their customers, clients and the like. Thisdistribution process may be carried out in a number of ways.

For example, in one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4M1, retailers, wholesalers, advertisers, and others would visit the IPICentral WWW site as shown in FIG. 3C and selected the Applet TagDownload/Distribute Mode by selecting mode control button 21F, whereupona (Java) GUI, is displayed in the display frame 20C. Within this GUI, a“master” list of executable files containing CPIR-enabling Applet tagsis displayed for each consumer product registered within the system. TheCPIR-enabling Applet tag containing file associated with any particularconsumer product can be searched for by UPN, trademark, and/or productdescriptor, and once found, can be viewed and simply downloaded to aremote client computer system connected to the Internet using, forexample, ftp or other electronic data or document interchange protocols(e.g. XML/ICE) suitable for carrying out the <APPLET> tag transportprocess. Downloaded CPIR-enabling Applet tag containing files can bethen stored in a local CPIR-enabling Applet/Servlet Library maintainedon a client computer until it is time to extract the Applet tagtherefrom and embed the same into a particular HTML-encoded document.

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 4M 2, the distribution ofCPIR-enabling Applet tags is enabled by providing a “CPIR-enablingApplet Tag Download” Link/Button 100 on the Web page of each productbeing offered for sale in an EC-enabled store or product catalogmaintained by a manufacturer, retailer or other party. This inventivefeature should be most useful in EC-enabled Business-to-Business (i.e.Vendor-to-Retailer) UPC-based Product Catalogs such as, for example,QRS's Keystone UPC Product Catalog, where purchasing agents of retailerscould download “Applet tag containing” files, along with product imagesand other product information after placing a purchase ordertherethrough, for use in constructing the retailer's EC-enabled(retailer-to-consumer) store or product catalog. Using this method ofthe present invention, consumers would be provided with instantmanufacturer-defined product information prior to, and/or after aconsumer purchase at an EC-enable store on the WWW, thereby greatlyimproving the consumer shopping experience on the WWW.

As indicated at Block D in FIG. 4G 2, the fifth step of the methodinvolves enabling retailers, wholesalers, advertisers, and others to (1)open the downloaded Applet tag containing files, (2) extract theCPIR-enabling HTML tags contained therewithin, and (3) embed (i.e.insert) one or more distributed CPIR-enabled Applet tags into acceptableHTML-encoded documents associated with EC-enabled WWW sites, EC-enabledstorefronts and catalogs, Internet product advertisements, on-lineauction-based WWW sites, or other types of Web-documents.

In general, this step of the method involves first creating or otherwiseprocuring a suitable HTML-encoded document which may understandablyinclude other types of code (e.g. XML) therein, other than HTML code.While such HTML documents can be created using any HTML-editing program,such as BBD-Edit, it is expected that in most applications theunderlying HTML-encoded document will be generated using tools such as,for example: GO-LIVE® WWW-Site Development and Management solutionsoftware from Adobe Systems, Inc. to create the HTML pages associatedwith a particular WWW site; CatalogMaker™™ and CatalogManager electroniccommerce solution software programs from RealEDI, Inc; Intershop 4Enfinity™ Electronic Commerce Solution software from IntershopCommunications, Inc; and/or any other commercially availableHTML-authoring tools which enable quick and easy creation ofHTML-encoded documents, and easy insertion of any downloadedCPIR-enabling Applet HTML tag using, for example, simple commands ordrag-and-drop procedures.

As indicated at Block E in FIG. 4G 2, the sixth step of the methodinvolves serving HTML documents with inserted CPIR-enabling Applet tags,from Internet information servers to Java-enabled client computersubsystems 13 operated by consumers at home, in the office, inEC-enabled and “brick and mortar” retail stores, or on the road, as thecase may be. As shown in FIG. 4H 1, such Internet information serverscan include, for example, IPI servers 12, retailer-related EC-enabledinformation servers 12A, manufacturer-related EC-enabled informationservers 12B, and/or any other Internet (http or ftp) information serversoperating on the Internet from which HTML-encoded document are servedfor any informational, educational, and/or entertainment purpose.

As indicated at Block F in FIG. 4G 2, the seventh step of the methodhereof involves using a Java-enabled client computer subsystem 13 todisplay served HTML-encoded documents having one or more ofCPIR-enabling Applet tags embedded therewithin. This step is carried outby the consumer pointing his or her Java-enabled browser program (e.g.Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Explorer, or Sun Microsystems' HotJavaprogram) to an HTML-encoded document within which a CPIR-enabling JavaApplet tag is embedded, at a particular point of presence on the WWW.

As shown in FIGS. 4M1 through 4R2, CPIR-enabling Applets can begraphically-encoded in an variety of different ways to provide theconsumer with a visual indication that, clicking on the graphicalobject, however manifested, will automatically result in a CPI search ona particular product identified by a UPN encoded within the associatedApplet.

In the illustrative embodiments shown in FIGS. 4P1, 4Q1, 4R1 and 4S1,servicemarks such as “UPC Request™ Cyberservice™ URL Search” serve toinform the consumer that the object, if selected from the displayed Webpage, will cause a URL search to be performed with respect to theparticular consumer product and the results thereof displayed the “pointof presence” of the consumer which may be at a particular point in anEC-enabled store (e.g. at the check-out display screen or POS), aton-line auction site, at a Web-based product advertisement, or anywhereelse on the WWW. Notably, an important advantage provided by thisinformation search technique of the present invention is that it doesnot disturb the consumer at his or her point of presence (or sale),where ever that may be. Instead, the CPI-based search and display methodof the present invention enables the delivery of accurateproduct-specific manufacturer-defined information at a particular pointin Cyberspace by the consumer performing a single mouse-clickingoperation. This enables the consumer to make an informed decisionthereat based on the information displayed in the corresponding Java GUIgenerated upon launching the CPIR-enabling Applet at the consumer'spoint of presence on the WWW.

It is understood, however, that other techniques may be used to create avisual indication to the consumer that a CPIR-enabling Applet is locatedat a particular point on the WWW and that if this Applet is executed(e.g. by a single mouse-clicking operation), then a UPN-directedconsumer product information search will be automatically executed andthe results therefrom will be displayed within a Java GUI at that pointof presence. One alternative technique would be to embed theCPIR-enabling Applet within a thumb-nail or large size photo-image ofthe consumer product being offered for sale, lease, auction, or otherpurpose on the WWW. Using this technique, the consumer need only clickon the image to initiate a UPN-directed consumer product informationsearch on the IPI Registrant Database (e.g. RDBMS Server 9) of thesystem.

Notably, the person or persons responsible for delivering productadvertisements to particular locations on one or more WWW sites can usethe OPEN ADSTREAM™ (OAS) 5.0 Internet Advertisement Management Solutionsoftware from Real Media, Inc., of New York, N.Y., and any othersuitable software solution, running on the Internet (http) informationserver (12, 12′, 12A or 12B), and managed using an Web-enabled clientsubsystem 13, as shown in FIG. 4H 2. Using the OAS 5.0 advertisementmanagement solution, and the CPI search and display method of thepresent invention described above, a webmaster or advertising managerassigned to a particular Internet information server (12, 12′, 12A or12B) can: (1) access the Web-based product advertisement for aparticular product (i.e. HTML code, image files, and any other richmedia content associated therewith); (2) access previously downloadedCPIR-enabling Java Applet(s) for the consumer product, stored in alocally-maintained “Library (i.e. Catalog) of CPIR-Enabling Applets” ona client machine or server on the network, or directly accessCPIR-enabling Java Applets from the centrally-maintained “Library (i.e.Catalog) of CPIR-Enabling Applets” illustrated in FIG. 4H 2; and (3) useReal Media's OAS 5.0 solution software to deliver both the Web-basedproduct advertisement (i.e. its HTML code, and other media-rich content)and the corresponding CPIR-enabling Applet tag (and image filesassociated therewith) to a designated section on a particular Web pageof a specific WWW-site.

It is understood that there are different ways of inserting/embeddingboth of these objects within a particular section of an HTML-encodeddocument using the highly-advanced HTML-editing functionalities of theOAS 5.0 software system. For example, the Web-based productadvertisement can be inserted within a first spatially-defined portionof the target HTML document (occupying the largest portion of thepurchased Internet advertising space), while the CPIR-enablingclient-side Applet is inserted within a second spatially-defined portionof the target HTML document occupying the balance of the purchasedInternet advertising space. Alternatively, both the CPIR-enabling Appletand the Web-based product advertisement can be inserted withinsubstantially same spatially-defined portion of the target HTML documentso as to achieve spatial overlap therebetween. This way when theconsumer clicks on the advertisement image, or some preselected portionthereof, the underlying CPIR-enabling Applet will be automaticallyexecuted and the corresponding Java GUI generated for displaying theresults of the UPN-directed database search.

In situations where the Internet product advertisement (e.g. banneradvertisement) embodies a Java Applet tag which, when executed, producesa new Java GUI (i.e. new browser interface), then a CPIR-enabling Applettag can be embedded within the HTML-encoded document displayed in thenew Java GUI.

Other ways of embedding the Web-based advertisement and the relatedCPIR-enabling Applet tags will become apparent hereinafter to thoseskilled in the art having had the benefit of reading the presentdisclosure.

As indicated at Block G in FIG. 4G 2, the eight step in the methodinvolves the consumer recognizing that a CPIR-enabling Applet tag isembedded within a Web-document displayed on a Java-enabled clientcomputer subsystem 13, and thereafter launching/executing the associatedApplet to initiate a UPN-directed search within the RDBMS server 9 byperforming a single mouse clicking operation.

Notably, the second illustrative embodiment described above has beendescribed with particular focus given to CPIR-enabling Applets encodedwith the UPN of a particular consumer product. It is understood,however, that the CPIR-enabling Applets of the present invention can beencoded with the trademark(s) used in connection with a particularconsumer product, thus providing Trademark-encoded CPIR-enablingApplets, in contrast with UPN-encoded CPIR-enabling Applets. In suchalternative embodiments, the encoded trademark would be used to direct asearch through the RDBMS server 9, and display the results thereof in anew (independent) Java GUI generated at the point of Applet tagembodiment. Alternatively, a product descriptor associated with aparticular product can be encoded within the corresponding CPIR-enablingApplet, used to direct a search through the RDBMS server 9, and displaythe results thereof in an independent Java GUI generated at the point ofApplet tag embodiment.

The Third Applet-Driven Method of Accessing and Displaying CategorizedUPN/URL Link Menus from the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem thePresent Invention

After providing a brief overview on the system architecture of FIG. 2B 3and the nature of the client-side CPIR-enabling Applets deployedtherewithin, the steps associated with Applet-driven CPI-acquisitionmethod of the third illustrative embodiment will be described in detailwith reference to FIGS. 4I1, 4I2, 4J1 and 4J2.

In general, the method of FIGS. 4I1 and 4I2, like that of FIGS. 4G1 and44G2, involves using a client-side CPIR-enabling Applet to automaticallyconduct a UPN-directed search on the UPN/URL Database ManagementSubsystem hereof (i.e. RDBMS server 9) in response to a singlemouse-clicking operation by the consumer on the HTML tag associated withthe CPIR-enabling Applet. In the illustrative embodiment, theCPIR-enabling Applet of the present invention is a program written inthe Java™ programming language and has an HTML tag (indicated by<APPLET>) which is designed to be included in an HTML page, much in thesame way an image can be included therewithin (in accordance with theHTML 3.2 Specification).

In the method of the second illustrative embodiment, CPIR-enablingApplets are designed to work within a request/response processing model,as shown in FIG. 2B 3. In this request/response model, a clientsubsystem 13 sends a request message to the Java Web Server 11′″ and theserver 11′″ responds by sending back a reply message. In theillustrative embodiment, requests come in the form of http, although itis understood that other protocols (e.g. ftp, EDI or a custom protocol)may be used. The request and the corresponding response reflect thestate of the client and the server at the time of the request.

When using a Java-enabled browser to view a Web page containing aclient-side CPIR-enabling Applet tag <APPLET>, the Applet's compiledclass code is automatically accessed from the Java Web Server 11′″ andexecuted on the client-side of the network connection illustrated inFIG. 2B 3. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2B 3, the Java-enabled client machine13 in this network architecture must run a Java-enabled browser programthat provides a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for running/executing JavaApplets on the client-side thereof, in much the same way that Java WebServer 11′ must provide a JVM for running Java servlets on the serverside thereof, as shown in FIG. 2B 1.

With reference to FIG. 2B 3, the method of creating, loading,distributing, embedding and executing client-side CPIR-enabling JavaApplets in accordance with the principles of the present inventionschematically illustrated in FIGS. 4I1, 4I2, 4J1 and 4J2 will now bedescribed below.

As indicated at Block A1 in FIG. 4I 1, the first step of the methodinvolves using the Java Applet API to write or otherwise author thesource code for a client-side CPIR-enabling Java Applet for eachUPN-specified consumer product registered in the RDBMS server 9. Ingeneral, the source code for each client-side CPIR-enabling Java Applet(i.e. Applet) will embody one or more of following items of information:(i) the UPN of the particular product on which the CPI search is to becarried out and the search results thereof displayed; (ii) Java classesrequired for performing a UPN-directed search on the RDBMS server 9using a “socket connection” between the Java-enabled client subsystem 13and the Java Web Server 11′″, producing a particular Java GUI fordisplaying the results obtained from the UPN-directed search; and (iii)license-related information specifying the terms and conditions of theCPIR-enabling Applet license and conditions under which theCPIR-enabling Applet shall operate.

Notably, such license-related information may specify: (1) one or morespecific host domains from which a Web document containing thecorresponding Applet tag may launch the CPIR-enabling Applet under alicensing program; (2) one or more general Internet domains (e.g. .com,.org., .gov, .int, .mil, .uk, etc.) from which a Web document containingthe corresponding Applet tag may launch the CPIR-enabling Applet under alicensing program; (3) the time duration of the licensing periodassociated with the CPIR-enabling Applet; and (4) any other restrictionsset by the associated manufacturer and/or retailer, and/or administratorof the consumer product information system of the present invention,that must be satisfied for a registered CPIR-enabled Applet to operatewithin a Web-document.

Notably, the Java source code for each CPIR-enabling Applet will varydepending upon implementation. However, regardless of the particularimplementation, it can be expected that each CPIR-enabling Appletdesigned, for example, to search an (Oracle-based JDBC) RDBMS Server 9for current UPC/URL list symbolically linked to a specified UPN andthereafter display the results in an independent Java GUI, willtypically include Java source code specifying:

-   (1) the importable JDBC classes required by the CPIR-enabling    Applet;-   (2) the importable java classes to be used in the CPIR-enabling    Applet;-   (3) the JDBC driver to be loaded for the Oracle-based RDBMS server    9;-   (4) the connection strings to the RDBMS server 9;-   (5) the CPI query to be executed on the UPN/URL Database, dependent    on the UPN of the associated consumer product and possibly other    search criteria and Applet licensing conditions;-   (6) the Applet tag, its graphical icon or alias to trigger execution    the Applet and its associated CPI query;-   (7) the CPI Search Result GUI to be displayed on requesting client    and its relative location to the associated Applet tag; and-   (8) the operations that will be carried out upon execution of the    CPI query including    -   Boolean search logic to be carried out upon initiation of the        UPN-directed CPI search;    -   if a new connection is required between Java Web Server 11′″ and        the RDBMS server 9;    -   Loading the JDBC driver;    -   Connecting to the RDBMS server 9;    -   Creating a SQL statement based on the specified Boolean search        logic and UPN;    -   Executing the SQL query statement; and        -   Dumping the search results to the CPI Search Result GUI.

When using earlier versions of the HTML Specification (i.e. HTML 3.2 bythe World Wide Web Consortium), the source code for each CPIR-enablingJava Applet will adhere to the general syntax of that the HTML 3.2Specification. Also, if the HTML 4.0 Specification is used, then thesource code for each CPIR-enabling Java Applet will adhere to thegeneral syntax of the HTML 4.0 Specification, as discussed above.

After writing/authoring the source code for the CPIR-enabling JavaApplet, the Applet is ascribed a unique name such as, for example,“UPNXXXXXXYYYYYZ” for a 12 digit Uniform Product Code.

As indicated at Block A2 in FIG. 4I 1, the second step of the methodinvolves compiling the source code of the Applet into Java bytecode, andthen placing/loading the classfiles for the Applet within theserver_root/Applets directory on the Java Web Server 11′″.

As indicated at Block B1 in FIG. 4I 1, the third step of the methodinvolves for each UPN-specified consumer product, (1) containing thecomplete Applet HTML tag <APPLET> within an executable file, and (2)storing each such Applet tag containing file in the CentralCPIR-Enabling Applet Library on the RDBMS server 9, as shown in FIG. 4J1.

As indicated at Block C in FIG. 4I 1, the fourth step of the methodinvolves distributing the CPIR-enabling Applet HTML tags to retailers,wholesalers, advertisers, and others who desire to deliver UPN-directedCPI search results to their customers, clients and the like. Thisdistribution process may be carried out in several different ways whichhave been detailed hereinabove in connection with the secondillustrative method illustrated in FIGS. 4G1 through 4H2 and describedabove.

As indicated at Block D in FIG. 4G 2, the fifth step of the methodinvolves enabling retailers, wholesalers, advertisers, and others to (1)open the downloaded Applet tag containing files, (2) extract theCPIR-enabling HTML tags contained therewithin, and (3) embed (i.e.insert) one or more distributed CPIR-enabled Applet tags into acceptableHTML-encoded documents associated with EC-enabled WWW sites, EC-enabledstorefronts and catalogs, Internet product advertisements, on-lineauction-based WWW sites, or other types of Web-documents.

In general, this step of the method involves first creating or otherwiseprocuring a suitable HTML-encoded document which may understandablyinclude other types of code (e.g. XML) therein, other than HTML code.While such HTML documents can be created using any HTML-editing program,such as BBD-Edit, it is expected that in most applications theunderlying HTML-encoded document will be generated using tools such as,for example: GO-LIVE® WWW-Site Development and Management solutionsoftware from Adobe Systems, Inc. to create the HTML pages associatedwith a particular WWW site; CatalogMaker™™ and CatalogManager electroniccommerce solution software programs from RealEDI, Inc; Intershop 4Enfinity™ Electronic Commerce Solution software from IntershopCommunications, Inc; and/or any other commercially availableHTML-authoring tools which enable quick and easy creation ofHTML-encoded documents, and easy insertion of any downloadedCPIR-enabling Applet HTML tag using, for example, simple commands ordrag-and-drop procedures.

As indicated at Block E in FIG. 4G 2, the sixth step of the methodinvolves serving servlet tag encoded HTML documents from Internetinformation servers to Java-enabled client computer subsystems 13operated by consumers at home, in the office, in EC-enabled and “brickand mortar” retail stores, or on the road, as the case may be. As shownin FIG. 4H 1, such Internet information servers can include, forexample, IPI servers 12, retailer-related EC-enabled information servers12A, manufacturer-related EC-enabled information servers 12B, and/or anyother Internet (http or ftp) information servers operating on theInternet from which HTML-encoded document are served for anyinformational, educational, and/or entertainment purpose.

As indicated at Block F in FIG. 4G 2, the seventh step of the methodhereof involves using a Java-enabled client computer subsystem 13 todisplay served HTML-encoded documents having one or more ofCPIR-enabling Applet tags embedded therewithin. This step is carried outby the consumer pointing his or her Java-enabled browser program (e.g.Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Explorer, or Sun Microsystems' HotJavaprogram) to an HTML-encoded document within which a CPIR-enabling JavaApplet tag is embedded, at a particular point of presence on the WWW. Asshown in FIGS. 4M1 through 4R2, CPIR-enabling Applets can begraphically-encoded in an variety of different ways as described indetail detailed hereinabove in connection with the second illustrativemethod illustrated in FIGS. 4G1 through 4H2 and described above.

As indicated at Block G in FIG. 4G 2, the eight step in the methodinvolves the consumer recognizing that a CPIR-enabling Applet tag isembedded within a Web-document displayed on a Java-enabled clientcomputer subsystem, and thereafter launching/executing the associatedApplet to initiate a UPN-directed search within the RDBMS server 9 byperforming a single mouse clicking operation.

Notably, the third illustrative embodiment has been described withparticular focus given to CPIR-enabling Applets encoded with the UPN ofa particular consumer product. It is understood, however, that theCPIR-enabling Applets of the present invention can be encoded with thetrademark(s) used in connection with a particular consumer product, thusproviding Trademark-encoded CPIR-enabling Applets, in contrast withUPN-encoded CPIR-enabling Applets. In such alternative embodiments, theencoded trademark would be used to direct a search through the RDBMSserver 9, and display the results thereof in a new (independent) JavaGUI generated at the point of Applet tag embodiment. Alternatively, aproduct descriptor associated with a particular product can be encodedwithin the corresponding CPIR-enabling Applet, used to direct a searchthrough the RDBMS server 9, and display the results thereof in anindependent Java GUI generated at the point of Applet tag embodiment.

The Fourth Applet-Driven Method of Accessing and Displaying CategorizedUPN/URL Link Menus from the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem thePresent Invention

After providing a brief overview on the system architecture of FIG. 2B 4and the nature of the client-side CPIR-enabling Applets deployedtherewithin, the steps associated with Applet-driven CPI-acquisitionmethod of the fourth illustrative embodiment will be described in detailwith reference to FIGS. 4K1, 4K2, 4L1 and 4L2.

In general, the method of FIGS. 4K1 and 4K2, like that of FIGS. 4G1 and4G2 and 4I1 and 4I2 involves using a client-side CPIR-enabling Applet toautomatically conduct a UPN-directed search on the UPN/URL DatabaseManagement Subsystem hereof (i.e. RDBMS server 9) in response to asingle mouse-clicking operation by the consumer on the HTML tagassociated with the CPIR-enabling Applet. In the illustrativeembodiment, the CPIR-enabling Applet of the present invention is aprogram written in the Java™ programming language and has an HTML tag(indicated by <APPLET>) which is designed to be included in an HTMLpage, much in the same way an image can be included therewithin (inaccordance with the HTML 3.2 Specification).

In the method of the second illustrative embodiment, CPIR-enablingApplets are designed to work within a request/response processing model,as shown in FIG. 2B 4. In this request/response model, a clientsubsystem 13 sends a request message to the Java Web Server 11″∝ and theserver 11″″ responds by sending back a reply message. In theillustrative embodiment, requests come in the form of http, although itis understood that other protocols (e.g. ftp, EDI or a custom protocol)may be used. The request and the corresponding response reflect thestate of the client and the server at the time of the request.

When using a Java-enabled browser to view a Web page containing aclient-side CPIR-enabling Applet tag <APPLET>, the Applet's compiledclass code is automatically accessed from the Java Web Server 11″″ andexecuted on the client-side of the network connection illustrated inFIG. 2B 4. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2B 3, the Java-enabled client machine13 in this network architecture must run a Java-enabled browser programthat provides a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for running/executing JavaApplets on the client-side thereof, in much the same way that Java WebServer 11′ must provide a JVM for running Java servlets on the serverside thereof, as shown in FIG. 2B 1.

With reference to FIG. 2B 4, the method of creating, loading,distributing, embedding and executing client-side CPIR-enabling JavaApplets in accordance with the principles of the present inventionschematically illustrated in FIGS. 4K1, 4K2, 4L1 and 4L2 will now bedescribed below.

As indicated at Block A1 in FIG. 4K 1, the first step of the methodinvolves using the Java Applet API to write or otherwise author thesource code for a client-side CPIR-enabling Java Applet for eachUPN-specified consumer product registered in the RDBMS server 9. Ingeneral, the source code for each client-side CPIR-enabling Java Applet(i.e. Applet) will embody one or more of following items of information:(i) the UPN of the particular product on which the CPI search is to becarried out and the search results thereof displayed; (ii) Java classesrequired for performing a UPN-directed search on the RDBMS server 9using a Remote Invocation Method (RMI) executed on the Java Web Server11″″, producing a particular Java GUI for displaying the resultsobtained from the UPN-directed search; and (iii) license-relatedinformation specifying the terms and conditions of the CPIR-enablingApplet license and conditions under which the CPIR-enabling Applet shalloperate.

Notably, such license-related information may specify: (1) one or morespecific host domains from which a Web document containing thecorresponding Applet tag may launch the CPIR-enabling Applet under alicensing program; (2) one or more general Internet domains (e.g. .com,.org., .gov, .int, .mil, .uk, etc.) from which a Web document containingthe corresponding Applet tag may launch the CPIR-enabling Applet under alicensing program; (3) the time duration of the licensing periodassociated with the CPIR-enabling Applet; and (4) any other restrictionsset by the associated manufacturer and/or retailer, and/or administratorof the consumer product information system of the present invention,that must be satisfied for a registered CPIR-enabled Applet to operatewithin a Web-document.

The RMI on Java Web Server 11″″ enables connectivity between Java WebServer 11″″ and the RDBMS Server 9 using the standard Java native methodinterface (JNI) or the standard JDBC package. At its most basic level,RMI is Java's remote procedure call (RPC) mechanism enablingconnectivity to the RDBMS server 9 using native methods. Further detailson the RMI are published in the Technical Paper “Java Remote MethodInvocation-Distributed Computing For Java” by JavaSoft, incorporatedherein by reference.

Notably, the Java source code for each CPIR-enabling Applet will varydepending upon implementation. However, regardless of the particularimplementation, it can be expected that each CPIR-enabling Appletdesigned, for example, to search an (Oracle-based JDBC) RDBMS Server 9for current UPC/URL list symbolically linked to a specified UPN andthereafter display the results in an independent Java GUI, willtypically include Java source code specifying:

-   (1) the importable JDBC classes required by the CPIR-enabling    Applet;-   (2) the importable java classes to be used in the CPIR-enabling    Applet;-   (3) the JDBC driver to be loaded for the Oracle-based RDBMS server    9;-   (4) the connection strings to the RDBMS server 9;-   (5) the CPI query to be executed on the UPN/URL Database, dependent    on the UPN of the associated consumer product and possibly other    search criteria and Applet licensing conditions;-   (6) the Applet tag, its graphical icon or alias to trigger execution    the Applet and its associated CPI query;-   (7) the CPI Search Result GUI to be displayed on requesting client    and its relative location to the associated Applet tag; and-   (8) the operations that will be carried out upon execution of the    CPI query including    -   Boolean search logic to be carried out upon initiation of the        UPN-directed CPI search;    -   if a new connection is required between Java Web Server 11″″ and        the RDBMS server 9;    -   Loading the JDBC driver;    -   Connecting to the RDBMS server 9;    -   Creating a SQL statement based on the specified Boolean search        logic and UPN;    -   Executing the SQL query statement; and    -   Dumping the search results to the CPI Search Result GUI.

When using earlier versions of the HTML Specification (i.e. HTML 3.2 bythe World Wide Web Consortium), the source code for each CPIR-enablingJava Applet will adhere to the general syntax of that the HTML 3.2Specification. Also, if the HTML 4.0 Specification is used, then thesource code for each CPIR-enabling Java Applet will adhere to thegeneral syntax of the HTML 4.0 Specification, as discussed above.

After writing/authoring the source code for the CPIR-enabling JavaApplet, the Applet is ascribed a unique name such as, for example,“UPNXXXXXXYYYYYZ” for a 12 digit Uniform Product Code.

As indicated at Block A2 in FIG. 4K 1, the second step of the methodinvolves compiling the source code of the Applet into Java bytecode, andthen placing/loading the classfiles for the Applet within theserver_root/Applets directory on the Java Web Server 11″″.

As indicated at Block B1 in FIG. 4K 1, the third step of the methodinvolves for each UPN-specified consumer product, (1) containing thecomplete Applet HTML tag <APPLET> within an executable file, and (2)storing each such Applet tag containing file in the CentralCPIR-Enabling Applet Library on the RDBMS server 9, as shown in FIG. 4J1.

As indicated at Block C in FIG. 4I 1, the fourth step of the methodinvolves distributing the CPIR-enabling Applet HTML tags to retailers,wholesalers, advertisers, and others who desire to deliver UPN-directedCPI search results to their customers, clients and the like. Thisdistribution process may be carried out in several different ways whichhave been detailed hereinabove in connection with the secondillustrative method illustrated in FIGS. 4G1 through 4H2 and describedabove.

As indicated at Block D in FIG. 4K 2, the fifth step of the methodinvolves enabling retailers, wholesalers, advertisers, and others to (1)open the downloaded Applet tag containing files, (2) extract theCPIR-enabling HTML tags contained therewithin, and (3) embed (i.e.insert) one or more distributed CPIR-enabled Applet tags into acceptableHTML-encoded documents associated with EC-enabled WWW sites, EC-enabledstorefronts and catalogs, Internet product advertisements, on-lineauction-based WWW sites, or other types of Web-documents.

In general, this step of the method involves first creating or otherwiseprocuring a suitable HTML-encoded document which may understandablyinclude other types of code (e.g. XML) therein, other than HTML code.While such HTML documents can be created using any HTML-editing program,such as BBD-Edit, it is expected that in most applications theunderlying HTML-encoded document will be generated using tools such as,for example: GO-LIVE® WWW-Site Development and Management solutionsoftware from Adobe Systems, Inc. to create the HTML pages associatedwith a particular WWW site; CatalogMaker™™ and CatalogManager electroniccommerce solution software programs from RealEDI, Inc; Intershop 4Enfinity™ Electronic Commerce Solution software from IntershopCommunications, Inc; and/or any other commercially availableHTML-authoring tools which enable quick and easy creation ofHTML-encoded documents, and easy insertion of any downloadedCPIR-enabling Applet HTML tag using, for example, simple commands ordrag-and-drop procedures.

As indicated at Block E in FIG. 4K 2, the sixth step of the methodinvolves serving servlet tag encoded HTML documents from Internetinformation servers to Java-enabled client computer subsystems 13operated by consumers at home, in the office, in EC-enabled and “brickand mortar” retail stores, or on the road, as the case may be. As shownin FIG. 4H 1, such Internet information servers can include, forexample, IPI servers 12, retailer-related EC-enabled information servers12A, manufacturer-related EC-enabled information servers 12B, and/or anyother Internet (http or ftp) information servers operating on theInternet from which HTML-encoded document are served for anyinformational, educational, and/or entertainment purpose.

As indicated at Block F in FIG. 4G 2, the seventh step of the methodhereof involves using a Java-enabled client computer subsystem 13 todisplay served HTML-encoded documents having one or more ofCPIR-enabling Applet tags embedded therewithin. This step is carried outby the consumer pointing his or her Java-enabled browser program (e.g.Netscape's Navigator, Microsoft's Internet Explorer, or SunMicrosystems' HotJava program) to an HTML-encoded document within whicha CPIR-enabling Java Applet tag is embedded, at a particular point ofpresence on the WWW. As shown in FIGS. 4M1 through 4R2, CPIR-enablingApplets can be graphically-encoded in an variety of different ways asdescribed in detail detailed hereinabove in connection with the secondillustrative method illustrated in FIGS. 4G1 through 4H2 and describedabove.

As indicated at Block G in FIG. 4G 2, the eight step in the methodinvolves the consumer recognizing that a CPIR-enabling Applet tag isembedded within a Web-document displayed on a Java-enabled clientcomputer subsystem, and thereafter launching/executing the associatedApplet to initiate a UPN-directed search within the RDBMS server 9 byperforming a single mouse clicking operation.

Notably, the third illustrative embodiment has been described withparticular focus given to CPIR-enabling Applets encoded with the UPN ofa particular consumer product. It is understood, however, that theCPIR-enabling Applets of the present invention can be encoded with thetrademark(s) used in connection with a particular consumer product, thusproviding Trademark-encoded CPIR-enabling Applets, in contrast withUPN-encoded CPIR-enabling Applets. In such alternative embodiments, theencoded trademark would be used to direct a search through the RDBMSserver 9, and display the results thereof in a new (independent) JavaGUI generated at the point of Applet tag embodiment. Alternatively, aproduct descriptor associated with a particular product can be encodedwithin the corresponding CPIR-enabling Applet, used to direct a searchthrough the RDBMS server 9, and display the results thereof in anindependent Java GUI generated at the point of Applet tag embodiment.

While the illustrative embodiments described above have employed JavaApplet technology, which is designed to work with nearly all modernInternet browser programs, it is understood, however, that it ispossible to use Active-X type objects (i.e. Active-X Applets) embeddedwithin Web-documents, such as XML and SGML encoded documents includingActive Server Pages (ASPs) from the Microsoft Corporation, in order toimplement UPN-directed methods or the present invention at the point ofpresence of the consumer within a Cyberspace environment. Suchalternative embodiments are a straightforward application of thetechniques and technology disclosed hereinabove and thus fall within thescope and spirit of the present invention.

Also, while the above-described method of information searching, accessand display has been described in connection with consumer products, itis understood that the principles of the present invention can also beused to deliver Web-based information to consumers in connection with aparticular consumer service which has been assigned a Universal ServiceNumber (USN) that functions in a similar manner to a UPN used inconnection with a particular consumer product. In such alternativeembodiments, the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9 can be readilyextended to contain symbolic links between Universal Service Numbers(USN) and URLs to form a UPS/URL database along the principles describedhereinabove.

Also, the CPIR-enabling Applets of the present invention may be modifiedto provide consumers with general access to any IPI WWW site inaccordance with the present invention, and not necessarily aproduct-specific Cyber-Service™ search, as described above. Thus, forexample, in the case where the CPIR-enabling Applet is not encoded withany particular UPN, then the CPIR-enabling Applet will generate anddisplay a pop-up Java GUI at the point where its Applet tag (or relatedimage IMG) is embedded. Such as Java GUI could be designed to enableeither (1) a generalized (unrestricted) consumer product informationdisplay, as would be desired at WWW search Engines/Directories such asYahoo, Lycos, Excite, Alta-Vista, and the like, or (2) a restrictedconsumer product information display, as would be desired by aparticular retailer operating an EC-enabled store or on-line catalogwhere browsing for merchandise not carried in the store or catalog isnot to be encouraged.

An example of a CPIR-enabling Applet designed to produce a Java GUI forthe “manufacturer-unrestricted or generalized” UPC Request CPI Serviceis illustrated in FIGS. 4N1 and 4Q1 by using a graphical icon or button,displayed on the lower portion of each display screen, and labeled as“UPC REQUEST™ CENTRAL Product Information Search”. An example of theJava GUIs produced by these CPIR-enabling Applets are illustrated inFIG. 4N 2 and 4Q2, respectively.

An example of a CPIR-enabling Applet designed to produce a CPID-enablingJava GUI for the “manufacturer-restricted” UPC Request Retailer CPIService is indicated in FIG. 4O 1 by a graphical icon or button,displayed on the lower portion of each display screen, and labeled as“UPC REQUEST™ Retail Product Information @ SPORTS PLACE”. An example ofthe Java GUI produced by this CPIR-enabling Applet is indicated in FIG.4O 2. Notably, this type of CPIR-enabling Applet provides consumers withdesired information about the UPN-encoded product, while disabling theconsumer from browsing for merchandise not carried in the EC-orientedstore or catalog of the hosting retailer.

As illustrated above, in the case where the CPIR-enabling Applet isencoded with a particular UPN, then the function of the CPIR-enablingApplet will be to generate and display an independent pop-up Java GUI atthe point where the Applet tag (or associated image) is embedded, fordisplaying the search results made against the consumer productidentified by the UPN embodied within the CPIR-enabling Applet. Anexample of a CPIR-enabling Applet designed to produce a CPID-enablingJava GUI for a Cyber-Service URL Search is indicated in FIGS. 4P1 and4R1 by a graphical icon or button, displayed on the lower portion ofeach display screen, and labeled as “UPC REQUEST™ Cyber-Service™ URLSearch.” Notably, operation of this type of CPIR-enabling Applet can berestricted to a particular retailer (or manufacturer) by the inclusionof a domain name constraint within the Applet itself, as describedhereinabove. In the case of the Cyber-Service URL Search of the UPCRequest System, the executed CPIR-enabling Applet automatically returnsfor display a menu of categorized URLs symbolically linked to theencoded UPN by the manufacturer and/or its agent. It would be desirableto embed this type of CPIR-enabling Applet on Web-documents in anEC-enabled stores and on-line catalogs of a particular retailer ormanufacturer, displaying consumer products to be purchased, as well ason Web-documents serving as Internet-based product advertisements.

Referring to FIGS. 4N1 and 4N2, the above-described method of CPIsearching and display will now be illustrated in the context of browsinga WWW Search Directory or Engine, and looking for a simple yet effectiveway of finding accurate consumer product related information on aparticular product, or class of products. When searching for consumerproduct information at a WWW Search Directory or Engine, such as Yahoo,Excite, Alta Vista, Lycos, etc., it will be desirable for the consumerto search against all manufacturers within the entire UPN/URL DatabaseManagement Subsystem 9 before returning the search results to theconsumer for display. Therefore, in this sort of Cyberspace environment,it will be oftentimes desirable to embed a CPIR-enabling Applet in thehome-page of the WWW search directory or engine so that, upon clickingthe graphical icon thereof, an independent Java GUI to the UPC RequestCentral WWW site will be automatically produced so that all modes ofsearching are made available to the consumer against all manufacturersregistered (and possibly unregistered) within the UPN/URL DatabaseManagement Subsystem 9, as shown in FIG. 4N 2. Notably, this Java GUI isvery similar to the Java GUI set forth in FIG. 3C.

Referring to FIGS. 4O1 through 4O2, the above-described method of CPIsearching and display is illustrated in a different context, wherein aconsumer is shopping/browsing an EC-enabled storefront of a particularretailer, and considering whether or not to make an on-line purchase ofa particular consumer product displayed within the catalog pagesthereof. In this sort of environment, the retailer will typically preferthat the consumer can only search on manufacturers of merchandise beingoffered for sale within the EC-enabled store, lest the consumer willencouraged to leave upon finding out that what he or she is looking foris available in a different retail store, and not the store at which heor she is present. Therefore, in this sort of Cyberspace environment, itwill be oftentimes desirable to embed a CPIR-enabling Applet in thehome-page (or other conspicuous locations) of each retailer's WWW ECstore so that, upon clicking the graphical icon thereof, an independentJava GUI to the UPC Request Retailer WWW site “@ the retailer store”will be automatically produced so that all modes of searching are madeavailable to the consumer against only those manufacturers registered(and possibly unregistered) with the UPN/URL Database ManagementSubsystem 9 which supply consumer products for sale within theparticular retail store, as shown in FIG. 4O 2. Notably, this Java GUIis similar to the Java GUI set forth in FIG. 3C, except that a“manufacturer filter” set by the retailer UPC product catalog is used tofilter out the search results displayed on the Java GUI.

Referring to FIGS. 4P1 and 4P2, it can be seen that the consumer withinthe EC-enabled store shown in FIGS. 401 and 402 has proceed to look at aparticular product in the retail store (e.g. the “Ultralite DaggerMountain Bike” being offered for sale for $285.00). At this point ofpresence within the EC-enabled retail store, the consumer might like toreview the very best information published wherever on the WWW relatingto this particular consumer product. Therefore, in this sort ofCyberspace environment, it will be desirable to embed a CPIR-enablingApplet within or near the image of this product in the retailer's WWW ECstore so that, upon clicking the graphical icon thereof, a “UPC RequestCyber-Service URL Search” will be automatically carried out within theUPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9, and the search results thereofdisplayed in a Java GUI, as shown in FIG. 4P 2. As shown, the Java GUIdisplays a menu-formatted list of categorized URLs that have beensymbolically linked to the UPN of the consumer product on which thesearch inquiry was initiated. Typically, this menu of URLs, accessedfrom the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9, would have beenupdated as early as the night before during UPN/URL linkupdating/management operations carried out between (i) the UPN/URLcatalog maintained in a client computer subsystem 13 within thebackoffice of the manufacturer, and (ii) the Manufacturer/ProductRegistration Subsystem 31, 33, using electronic data interchangeprocesses based on any one of number of protocols (e.g. ftp, EDI,XML/ICE, etc.).

Referring to FIGS. 4Q1 through 4Q2, the above-described method of CPIdisplay is illustrated in the context of a consumer visiting an on-lineEC-enabled auction site (e.g. at http://www.ebay.com), and consideringwhether or not to place a bid on a particular consumer product displayedwithin the auction listings thereof. In general, this environment issimilar to the situation where a consumer finds him/herself searchingfor consumer product information at a WWW Search Directory or Engine,such as Yahoo, Excite, Alta Vista, Lycos, etc. In such an environment,it will be desirable for the consumer to search against allmanufacturers within the entire UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 11before returning the search results to the consumer for display.Therefore, in this sort of Cyberspace environment, it will be oftentimesdesirable to embed a CPIR-enabling Applet in the home-page of the WWWon-line auction site so that, upon clicking the graphical icon thereof,an independent Java GUI to the UPC Request Central WWW site will beautomatically produced so that all modes of searching are made availableto the consumer against all manufacturers registered (and possiblyunregistered) within the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9, asshown in FIG. 4Q 2. Notably, this Java GUI is very similar to the JavaGUI set forth in FIG. 3C.

Referring to FIG. 4R 1 and 4R2, it can be seen that the consumer withinthe on-line auction site shown in FIGS. 4Q1 and 4Q2 has proceed to lookat a particular item being auctioned off (e.g. the “Sony MavicaMVC-FD8I” at a current bid of $420.50). At this point of presence withinthe on-line auction site, the consumer might very well like to reviewthe very best information published wherever on the WWW relating to thisparticular consumer product. Therefore, in this sort of Cyberspaceenvironment, it will also be desirable to embed a CPIR-enabling Appletwithin or near the title of the product being auctioned (or imagethereof if available) so that, upon clicking the graphical icon thereof,a “UPC Request Cyber-Service” URL Search will be automatically carriedout within the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9, and the searchresults thereof displayed in a CPID-enabling Java GUI, as shown in FIG.4R 2. As shown, this Java GUI displays a menu-formatted list ofcategorized URLs that have been symbolically linked to the UPN of theauctioned consumer product on which the search inquiry was initiated.Typically, this categorized menu of URLs, accessed from the UPN/URLDatabase Management Subsystem 9, would have been updated as early as thenight before during daily UPN/URL link updating/management operationscarried out in the manner described hereinabove.

Referring to FIGS. 4S1 through 4S2, the above-described method of CPIsearching and display is illustrated in the context of a consumervisiting a typical WWW site (e.g. the Applicant's Intellectual PropertyLaw Firm at http://www.tjpatlaw.com), whereupon an Internetadvertisement is presented for a particular consumer product, solely forillustrative purposes. At this point of presence on the WWW, theconsumer might very well like to review information published on the WWWrelating to the advertised consumer product. Therefore, in this sort ofCyberspace environment, it will also be desirable to embed aCPIR-enabling Applet within, closely near, or immediately about thespace of the advertisement so that, upon clicking the image associatedthereof, a “UPC Request Cyber-Service” URL Search will be automaticallycarried out within the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9, and thesearch results thereof displayed in a CPID-enabling Java GUI, as shownin FIG. 4S 2. As shown, this Java GUI displays a menu-formatted list ofcategorized URLs that have been symbolically linked to the UPN of theadvertised consumer product on which the search inquiry was initiated.Typically, this categorized menu of URLs, accessed from the UPN/URLDatabase Management Subsystem 9, would have been updated as early as thenight before UPN/URL link updating/management operations carried out inthe manner described hereinabove.

In situations where the advertisement itself embodies a Java-Applet, asin the case of most banner-type advertisements, it would be desirable toembed the CPIR-enabling Applet within the HTML-encoded documentdisplayed within the new Java GUI generated when the Java-Applet isexecuted by the consumer upon his or her initial encounter of theadvertisement. Upon the display of the menu-formatted list ofcategorized URLs within the CPID-enabling Java GUI, the consumer caneasily access different Web-documents containing information related tothe advertised consumer product by simply selecting the URL and linkingto the information resource to which it points on the WWW. Notably, thedisplayed URL menu would include (i) one or more URLs pointing toEC-enabled stores and on-line catalogs at which the advertised productcan be purchased over the Internet, as well as (ii) one or more URLspointing to “brick and mortar” type retail stores at which theadvertised product can be purchased in the stream of commerce.

As shown in FIG. 4S 3, the consumer having accessed the product-specificsearch results of FIG. 4S 2, may then select, from the displayed URLMenu, a URL displayed in the “Buy On The Web” URL category thereof,thereby automatically linking to the EC-enabled store or productcatalogue specified by the selected URL, as shown in FIG. 4S 2, and thusenabling the purchase of the advertised product or service thereat.Preferably, the EC-enabled store or product catalog employs the“one-click purchase order” placement system and method taught in U.S.Pat. No. 5,960,411 to Hartman, et al., and assigned to Amazon.com, Inc.,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This wouldsimplify ordering the product by the retailer having the consumer'scredit card and shipping address information on file.

Thus, the CPI-based search and display method of the present inventiongives rise to a new method of and system for purchasing consumerproducts over the Internet (e.g. WWW) comprising the steps of: embeddinga UPN-encoded CPIR-enabling Applet within the HTML-code of a consumerproduct advertisement, wherein the CPIR-enabling Applet, when executed,automatically displays a categorized URL menu containing one or moreURLs pointing to one or more EC-enabled stores or on-line catalogs onthe WWW at which the consumer product identified by the encoded UPN canbe purchased and delivered to a particular address in physical space.

Referring to FIGS. 4T1 through 4T2, the above-described method of CPIsearching and display is illustrated in the context of a consumervisiting a particular on-line electronic trading WWW site. At this site,the consumer is assumed to be reviewing the performance chart of aparticular consumer product company displayed at this electronic tradingWWW site, and is considering whether or not to buy, keep or sellsecurities (e.g. stock or bonds) in this consumer product company. Atthis point of presence on the WWW, the consumer decides that he or shewould like to first ascertain specific information about the company'sproducts by initiating a trademark/company name-directed CPI searchaccording to the principles of the present invention. In accordance withthe present invention, this would be achieved by the consumeridentifying a client-side or server-side CPIR-enabling Java Appletembedded within the HTML code of the performance chart displayed at theon-line electronic trading WWW site. In the illustrated embodiment, theCPIR-enabling Applet is graphically indicated by an associated graphicalimage (e.g. UPC Request™ Cyber-Service™ Trademark-Directed URL Search)and is encoded with the trademark an/or company name of a particularmanufacturer/vendor associated with the display performance chart.Notably, the creation, distribution and embedding of such CPIR-enablingApplets must be carried out well in advance of the consumer arriving atthe particular point of presence shown in FIG. 4T 1. In accordance withthe principles of the present invention, when the consumer performs asingle mouse-clicking operation on the graphical image associated withthe embedded CPIR-enabling Java Applet, the underlying CPIR-enablingApplet is executed and a trademark-directed URL search is automaticallymade against the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9 hereof. Quicklythereafter, the results from the trademark/company name directed searchare automatically displayed in a Java GUI on the browser of therequesting consumer's client machine, as shown in FIG. 4T 2. As shown,the consumer is free to scroll through the displayed GUI, looking forURLs on particular consumer products of the manufacturer/vendor.

Preferably, in above application, each entry in the displayed TrademarkSearch Results screen shown in FIG. 4T 2 is itself a CPIR-enabling JavaServlet which, when clicked upon, automatically initiates a UPN-directedCPI search against a particular product of the manufacturer related tothe displayed stock performance chart, as taught in great detailhereinabove. This novel technique will greatly simplify accessing anddisplaying accurate and up-to-date UPC/URL menus on the products offeredby a particular company in which a consumer is considering buying,keeping or selling a particular number of financial securities. Also,while conducting such on-line CPI research, the consumer may alsoconsider purchasing a particular consumer product at an EC-enabled storeor product catalog, as illustrated in FIG. 4S 3, supra.

Overview of Modes of Operation For IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem

In order to enter a primary mode of operation of the IPI Finding andServing Subsystem, the consumer, retail sales clerk or retailer selectsa particular mode activation button (e.g. 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, 21E, or21F) displayed in the control frame 21B of the Java GUI browser programat the requesting client subsystem 13. Upon making the selection, theWeb browser at the client subsystem 13 automatically requests aparticular HTML-encoded form (typically residing on the IPD Server(s)11). In general, each mode activation button 21A through 21F can belinked to a client-side or server-side Java Applet tag embedded withinan HTML-encoded document, or directly to a predefined static-type HTMLform corresponding to the selected mode of operation. In the case ofJava Applets, upon selecting the mode selection button, a Java GUI isautomatically produced and displayed within the information displayframe 20C of the Web browser of the requesting client subsystem. In thecase of the directly-linked static-type HTML forms, a GUI in the form ofHTML document is automatically produced and displayed within theinformation display frame 20C of the Web browser of the requestingclient subsystem. In either case, the HTML-encoded form corresponds tothe selected mode and is linked to a Java method (or CGI script) relatedto the selected mode and possibly to other methods or forms required tocarry out the database access and/or management process associatedtherewith. The requesting client subsystem then enters the informationrequested by the HTML form displayed within the information displayframe 20C of the Web browser's GUI interface. Information entry into theHTML form can be carried out using bar code symbol reading equipment,keyboard or keypad, speech dictation equipment (by Dragon Systems, Inc.of Newton, Mass.), and the like.

In general, the particular messages which will be displayed within theHTML forms during any particular mode of operation will depend uponseveral factors namely: whether the IPI Web-site is intended for accessby bar code driven kiosks (i.e. client subsystems 13) as shown, forexample, in FIGS. 3A2, 3A3, 3A4, and 3A5 located within retailenvironments; or whether the IPI Web-site is intended for access bydesktop, laptop and palmtop client computer systems 13 as shown, forexample, in FIG. 3A 1 located at home, in the office or on the road.

For example, if the IPI Web-site supported by the IPI Finding andServing Subsystem hereof is intended for access by bar code drivenkiosks, then the HTML documents related to the IPI Website will beparticularly adapted to facilitate the use of bar code symbol reader atthe client subsystem. This way UPNs (e.g. UPC or EAN symbols) can beeasily entered into the subsystem without manual key-entry operations.In contrast, if the IPI Web-site supported by the IPI Finding andServing Subsystem hereof is intended for access by client subsystems nothaving bar code symbol readers (e.g. Web-enabled computer systems athome, in the office or on the road), then the HTML documents related tothe IPI Website will be particularly adapted to facilitate the use ofdata-entry display screens at the client subsystem. This way, UPNs (e.g.UPC or EAN symbols) can be easily entered into the subsystem using barcode symbol scanners avoiding manual key-entry operations. In theillustrative embodiment, bar code-code driven and manual data-entry IPIWebsites are served from a “framed” Java GUI, in which the control strip20B has six (5) Check Boxes 21A through 21F described above to enablethe consumer, retail sales/service personnel as well as manufacturers toselect the particular mode of operation that suits his or her consumerproduct information needs at any particular instance in time.

It understood that the use of Java Applets (including Servlets) will bemost beneficial in constructing Java-based IPI Central and retail WWWsites, as indicated above, and in most instances will be preferable overstatic HTML documents and CGIs linking the IPD (http) server 11 to thebackend RBDMS servers 9 of the system. However, for purposes ofillustration only, the six primary modes of operation of the system willbe described below using a CGI implementation, illustrated in FIG. 2B 2.However, it is understood that implementations using CPIR-enablingServlets as shown in FIG. 2B 1 can be used to replace such CGIconstructions. Also, implementations using CPIR-enabling Applets asshown in FIGS. 2B3 and 2B4 can be used to enable access to the UPN/URLDatabase Management Subsystem 9 and its supporting RDBMS servers.

Manufacturer/Product Registration Mode of Operation

Referring to FIG. 5A, the high level structure is shown for acommunication protocol that can be used among a client subsystem C_(a),an IPD Server Sb, and an IPI Server Sc of the IPI finding and servingsubsystem hereof when it is induced into the Manufacturer/ProductRegistration Mode of operation from the point of view of the depictedclient subsystem. FIG. 6A provides a high level flow chart illustratingthe steps involved in carrying out this communication protocol when theIPI Finding and Serving Subsystem is in its Manufacturer/ProductRegistration Mode of operation.

As indicated at Block A in FIG. 6A, when selected from the userinterface of an IPI Website, the first Check Box type button 21Aautomatically activates the Manufacturer/Product Registration Mode ofthe IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem by sending an HTTP request to theIPD Server(s) 11″ based on a URL hot-linked to the selected Check Box.As indicated at Block B in FIG. 6A, this causes a HTML-encoded documentresiding on the IPD Server 11″ shown in FIG. 2B 2, to requesting clientsubsystem 13 or display on the information display frame 20C thereof.The HTML document of the illustrative embodiment displays several typesof information relevant to the Manufacturer/Product Registration Mode,namely: eligibility requirements (i.e. qualifications) for amanufacturer to register with the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem;optional ways of registering consumer products and product-relatedinformation with the Manufacturer/Product Registration Subsystem hereof33; ways of acquiring computer software necessary for managing consumerproduct-related information (e.g. UPNs, URLs, trademarks and productdescriptors) on a particular computing platform using EDI (or XML/EDI)techniques supported by the Manufacturer/Product Registration Subsystem33; etc; and one or more Check Boxes embodying links (i.e. anchors) toHTML documents, CGI scripts and the like designed to facilitate thismode of operation. Notably, at least one of these HTML documents will belocated on the Web Document Server 30 of the Manufacturer/ProductRegistration Subsystem 33, providing manufacturers (and/or theirdesignated information-managers and agents) with a point of entry intothe manufacturer/product registration process hereof. As indicated atBlock C in FIG. 6A, the manufacturer and or its agent follow theinstructions displayed on the HTML document, linking to the Web DocumentServer 30 of the Manufacturer/Product Registration Subsystem 33 andfilling out the various HTML forms transmitted to the requesting clientsubsystem, downloading Web-based EDI (or XML/EDI) software for UPN/URLmanagement; and the like. While carrying out registration ofmanufacturers with the subsystem is relatively straightforward, thereare a number of different ways of carrying out the Product RegistrationMode of the subsystem. These alternative techniques will be describedbelow.

The first method illustrated in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2 involves by carryingout FTP between a client subsystem of the registering manufacturer (orits agent) Mi and IPD Server 11″ in order to update the IPI RegistrantDatabase associated therewith. This can be carried out by themanufacturer's officer or agent surfing to the IPI Website, selectingthe “Product Registration Mode” from the control strip, and thenfollowing the instructions displayed on the various screens of theWebsite in this mode. When using the first method, product UPCs, URLsand other information elements can be formatted within suitable ProductRegistration Forms and transmitted by FTP from the client subsystem orDatabase Server of a registering manufacturer to the IPD Server 11″ sothat the IPI Registrant Database thereof can be updated accordingly. Thefirst method will be desirable typically when registering a fewconsumer-products.

The second method illustrated in FIG. 2A, involves first carrying outEDI between a client subsystem of the registering manufacturer (or itsagent) and the UPN/URL Database Subsystem 9, and then carrying out FTPor SMTP between the client subsystem and IPD Server 11″ in order toupdate the IPI Registrant Database maintained therein. The second methodwill be desirable when a manufacturer needs or desires to register alarge number of consumer-products. The details of these informationtransmission methods will be described below.

When using the second method, conventional EDI protocols or more modernprotocols (e.g. XML/ICE) can be used to transmit product UPCs, URLs andother information elements from client subsystems or database servers ofmanufactures to the UPN/URL Database Subsystem 9 of the presentinvention. FTP can be used to transmit UPCs and URLs from the UPN/URLDatabase Subsystem to each IPD Server in the system so that the IPIRegistrant Database thereof can be updated accordingly. Once registeredwith the system using either of these methods in the ProductRegistration Mode, such consumer-products can be easily found on theInternet by anyone wishing to use the product finding techniques of thepresent invention.

The third method involves by carrying out electronic data and documentinterchange over the Internet between the WebDox Remote™ Computer System13 and the WebDox™ Server 30 of the system of the present invention, andcommunication between the WebDox™ Server 30 and the WebDox™ Admincomputer system 31 of the system hereof. The various steps involved inthis embodiment of the consumer product registration process will bedescribed in detail below.

When the manufacturer selects the “Product Registration Mode” of thesystem, a Manufacturer Registration Form is automatically downloadedfrom the WebDox™ Server 30 to the Manufacturer's client computer system13 (i.e. the WebDox Remote™ Computer System). At the end of thedownloading process, a Manufacturer Registration Form is presented (i.e.displayed) and the manufacturer then enters some requestedidentification information (e.g. Manufacturer's Company Name, Address,Name of CEO and President, phone number, 6-digit ManufacturerIdentification Number assigned by the UCC, etc.) and presses the “Send”button on the Manufacturer Registration Form. The form is thentransmitted immediately via the Internet and received by the WebDox™Server 30. At the WebDox™ Server 30, an automated process takes theinformation in the Manufacturer Registration Form and registers theManufacturer with the system.

Upon registering the manufacturer with the system, the manufacturer isasked to select which version of “customized” WebDox Remote™ software(i.e. the UPN/URL Registration Application) the manufacturer would likedownloaded to its client computer system 13 (e.g. WebDox Remote withUPN/URL Database and CGI scripts for MacOS WebServer, WebDox Remote withUPN/URL Database and CGI scripts for UNIX Web Server, or WebDox Remotewith UPN/URL Database and CGI scripts for NT Web Server). Once themanufacturer makes its selection, the customized WebDox Remote softwareis automatically downloaded to the manufacturer's client computer system13. This downloaded software includes a computer program thatautomatically generates (on the manufacturer's) client subsystem, arelational database management system (RDBMS) which allows themanufacturer (or its agents) to easily construct and maintain a UPN/URLdatabase (akin to that specified in FIG. 4A 1) but restricted tocontaining information relating only to the manufacturer's products.Thus, when the manufacturer attempts to enter a UPC number into themanufacturer's UPN/URL database that does not contain the 6-digitManufacturer Identification Number assigned to the manufacturer by theUCC, the RDBMS automatically blocks all such information entries.Consequently, the UPN/URL database can only maintain informationpertaining to the registered manufacturer's products and informationrelating thereto on the Internet. As the manufacturer adds or removesproducts from its retail or wholesale line, the database administratorsimply adds or removes the UPC and URL information relating thereto fromthe RDBMS. As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, suchdatabase changes are periodically transmitted to the WebDox™ Server 30so that the IPI Registrant Database (i.e. master UPN/URL database) ofthe system (maintained on the IPD Servers thereof) can be updated in atimely manner.

Preferably, the limited or restricted version of the UPN/URL databasemaintained by each registered manufacturer on its client subsystem 13 isconnected to the manufacturer's Internet Server 12′ (or 12B) by a CGIscript or Java method, as shown in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2. In this way, themanufacturer's limited version of the UPN/URL database can be madeaccessible to consumers world-wide from the manufacturer's Websitewhich, in the illustrative embodiment, is assumed to be hosted on anInternet information server 12′ or 12B that is similar to an IPI Server12 described in detail hereinabove. In order to simply the process ofserving of the manufacturer's limited-version of the UPN/URL database onthe WWW, it is preferred that the CGI script 40, input forms, outputforms, and methods for searching and the displaying the results from thelimited-version UPN/URL database are predesigned for use withmanufacturer's Internet Server 12′ (taking into consideration itsoperating system and the like). This way, prior to registration themanufacturer need only make a selection of the type of customized WebDoxRemote software it needs for its computing and Internet servingplatform(s). Then, during software download, the WebDox Server 30 simplytransmits the suitable version of the customized WebDox Remote softwareto the manufacturer so that it can create, maintain and serve (on theWWW) its limited version of the UPN/URL database in a “turn-key” manner.

In the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the homepage ofeach registered manufacturer's Website will display a visuallyconspicuous radio button labeled “UPC Request™ Product Finder” or thelike. Moreover, whenever a consumer attempts to search themanufacturer's limited-version UPN/URL database for products notregisterable to the manufacturer (i.e. using UPC numbers not containingthe manufacturer's 6-digit UCC Manufacturer Identification Number), thelimited-version of the UPN/URL database will automatically display anHTML-encoded message from the manufacturer's Website, urging theconsumer to surf to the IPI Registrant Database of the system(maintained on the network of IPD servers 11). Preferably, suchHTML-encoded messages will have a hot-linked URL (i.e. anchor) toWebsite(s) providing consumer access to the “master” UPN/URL database.

The WebDox Remote™ computer system 13 available to each registeredmanufacturer has both online and offline modes of operation. In theoffline mode, the manufacturer responds to a UPN/URL RegistrationRequest from the WebDox™ Server in the following manner. First, theWebDox Remote™ software analyzes the limited-version of the UPN/URLdatabase that it has been currently created and maintained by themanufacturer or its designee. Thereafter, the WebDox softwareautomatically creates a UPN/URL Registration Response document whichcontains a set of currently active URLs specifying the address locationof Web-based information resources associated with each UPC-encodedproduct of the manufacturer. Then, WebDox Remote™ program establishes anInternet connection with the WebDox™ Server, through a “Get/Send Mail”option. This delivers the UPN/URL Registration Response (document) tothe WebDox™ Server 30 and retrieves any documents which are waitingthereat for the manufacturer. These new documents are listed by WebDoxRemote™ program and presented in the InBasket of the manufacturer'sWebDox Remote™ computer system 13.

In the online mode, WebDox Remote™ (under the control of the FormApplication) can also send UPN/URL Registration Request documentsimmediately. For very sensitive applications (i.e. Just-in-Time), thisensures that the UPN/URL Registration Response document is received atthe WebDox™ Server 30 the moment that the manufacturer completes thedocument.

In general, the WebDox™ Server 30 provides a high-volume documentprocessing and mailboxing environment between the WebDox Server and theWebDox Remote™ system of each registered manufacturer. WebDox™ Server 30performs: permanent storage and tracking of all UPN/URL RegistrationRequest documents sent and UPN/URL Registration Response documentsreceived; automatic reconciliation of acknowledgments from WebDoxRemote™ program; automatic creation of user-friendly receipt messages tothe manufacturer; “mailboxing” of outbound UPN/URL Registrationdocuments for retrieval by manufacturer; and automatic manufacturer andprofile creation based on forms received from manufacturers. The WebDox™Server 30 consists of online components that run as extensions toMicrosoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) using the ISAPI interface.This provides higher performance and lower hardware requirements than aconventional CGI Web Interface. Processing intensive tasks are performedasynchronously from the Web server. An integrated queuing anddispatching system manages the processing of documents and interactionwith the corresponding application. For large volume situations, theWebDox™ Server components can be deployed on different machines, theWebDox™ Server components (ISAPI extensions) on one machine, theprocessing components and database on another machine.

Data for UPN/URL Registration Request documents to be sent tomanufacturers is extracted from the IPI Registrant Database using aninterface or utility program. The document data (e.g. information fieldsassociated with UPN/URL registration) can then be accepted by WebDox ina direct manner after formatting. The UPN/URL Registration Requestdocument should be formatted to a file structure created during thedesign of the UPN/URL Registration Application. The WebDox™ Server 30then converts the application data into a UPN/URL Registration requestdocument (i.e. data package). The data package for each manufacturer isthen stored (as a message) in an assigned Mailbox of the WebDox™ Server30. These messages are then available to be retrieved by the registeredmanufacturers using WebDox Remote's™ “Get/Send Mail” feature.

As discussed above, the WebDox Remote™ program transmits messages (e.g.UPN/URL Registration Response documents) to the WebDox™ Server 30,where, after passing security checks, they are placed in the WebDoxMailbox system. Incoming (document) messages are received from theMailbox, processed, and converted into data files for direct transfer tothe database management system handling the IPI Registrant Database.

For each document received, the WebDox™ Server 30 will return a messageto the manufacturer confirming receipt of the document. WebDox Remote™system also returns delivery confirmations to the WebDox Server. Thesemessages are used by the WebDox™ Server to track the status of messages.WebDox™ Server 30 maintains Mailbox Files for all inbound and outboundmessages. The status of messages is updated on an ongoing basis asacknowledgement messages are received, allowing timely and preciseaudits.

WebDox Admin™ Computer system 31 provides an easy-to-use tool to managethe community of manufacturers, review the status of documents, andconfigure the WebDox™ Server 30, including: ad hoc maintenance ofmanufacturer information; online display of the Mailbox permittinginquiry into document status or document activity for particularmanufacturers, and the ability to reset document status; creation andmaintenance of UPN/URL Registration Profiles; preparation of “releases”of new and updated UPN/URL Registration Applications; Distribution ofnew and updated UPN/URL Registration Applications; and automaticinventory and tracking of UPN/URL Registration Applications distributedto manufacturers.

In the preferred embodiment, UPN/URL Registration Application design anddevelopment is carried out on a Windows 95 or NT workstation. TheUPN/URL Registration Application is developed, tested, and then fullyimplemented for production with manufacturers. New or updated UPN/URLRegistration Applications are registered with the WebDox Admin™ computersystem 31 and are then distributed to the manufacturers as describedherein above.

In the preferred embodiment, UPN/URL Registration Applications aredeveloped using Microsoft Visual Basic™ and related software tools.These products provide rapid design and creation of the screen-basedforms that the manufacturer uses. In addition, the “intelligence” behindthe form, in the UPN/URL Registration Application, can be very powerful,making the manufacturer's work easier while ensuring that the user andServer application receive high quality data.

The WebDox Admin™ system handles the distribution of UPN/URLRegistration Applications to manufacturers. New UPN/URL RegistrationApplications can be sent to some or all of the existing manufacturersassigned UPC Manufacturer Identification Numbers. Updates to UPN/URLRegistration Applications can be sent to manufacturers who are currentlyusing that UPN/URL Application. The actual update is distributed bysending a small notification message to each manufacturer, which thenresults in the remote site downloading the new forms from the WebDox™Server 30, as hereinbefore described above.

Notably, the WebDoc™ Solution has been described above provides one wayand means of implementing a method of electronic data and documentinterchange between client machines of manufacturers and the IPIRegistrant Database (i.e. master UPN/URL database in subsystem 9) of thesystem of the present invention. It is understood, however, that manydifferent types of electronic data interchange solutions (e.g. XML orXML/EDI) can be used to practice the system and method of UPN/URLdatabase management in an efficient and timely manner so that consumerswill always be provided with up-to-date URL links on the Internet. Forexample, the new CenterStage 4 Application Suite from On Display, Inc.of San Ramon Calif., can be used to enable XML-based electronic datainterchange (i.e. transfer) between the client computer subsystems 13operated within the backoffices of manufacturers, and the IPI RegistrantDatabase (i.e. master UPN/URL database) of the system hereof operated inthe backoffice of the system administrator. Manufacturers (i.e. vendors)can format their data transactions in any of the many new languages ofelectronic-business (e.g. cXML, RosettaNet, CBL, BizTalk, OBI, ICEproprietary formats, or standard EDI formats such as ANSI X12), and theCenterStage 4 platform will automatically convert their transactionsinto the chosen formats of the system administrator responsible formanaging the master UPN/URL database.

For further details on the use of electronic data interchangetechnologies in order to realize this functionality of the system of thepresent invention, reference can be made to the following technicalpublications: “XML/EDI: Cyber Assisted Business in Practice” (1999) byDick Raman (ISBN: 90-8050233-2-1); The A to Z of EDI and Its Role inE-Commerce™ Second Edition, 1998) by Nahid Jilovec, published by DukeCommunications, Inc., Loveland, Colo.; “Electronic Commerce With EDI: AGuide For Decision Makers” (1998), by Robert L. Sullivan, published byTwain, Inc. North Andover, Mass.; and “Wild's WWW: Technical Foundationsof the World Wide Web” (1999) by Erik Wilde, published bySpringer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg; each said publication incorporatedherein by reference as of set forth herein.

In FIG. 2A′, there is shown an alternative way of collecting andmanaging consumer product information along the consumer-product supplyand demand chain. While the method of consumer product informationcollection and management shown in FIG. 2A′ is similar in many ways tothe method shown in FIG. 2A, there are several important differences.For example, in the method of FIG. 2A′, the manufacturer or its agent isstill responsible for symbolically linking consumer product informationresources to the UPN of its associated product, but there is no need forsuch information resources to be published on the WWW at the time oflinking; all that is required is that the information resource file(IRF) associated with the product be symbolically linked or indexed toits UPN, and then for such linked information to be transported to theUPN/URL database management subsystem 9′, realized as a data warehouse(i.e. RDBMS) supported upon a massively-parallel computing platform.Thereafter, each IRF in the data warehouse can be linked a URLspecifying the location of the IRF within the data warehouse, and allURLs associated with a particular product can be linked to its UPN. TheIRFs can be classified by information type, as well, to facilitatesearching by the consumer. According to this method, when a consumerenters the UPN of a particular product into http server of the UPN/URLDatabase Management Subsystem 9′, the http server associated therewithresponds by serving (to the consumer) the list or menu of URLssymbolically linked to the UPN, for selection by the consumer.

In FIG. 2C, there is disclosed a novel distributed method of collecting,managing and transmitting UPN/URL menus for consumer products. Notably,this distributed system and method will be useful in large corporateenvironments, where departmentalization is the general rule. As shown,instead of each manufacturer having a single EDI-enabled workstation(equipped with EDI or EDI/XML software) 13 for carrying out UPN/URLmanagement operations, a group of EDI-enabled client computers 13 areconnected to a local or wide area network 200 via a network-centric Web(http) server 133 using a network router 201 to interface with theinfrastructure of the Internet, as well as the other local or wide areanetwork 200 as shown in FIG. 2C. Preferably, each client computer 13 onthe LAN or WAN is equipped with UPN/URL management software for managingthe consumer product information collected in the UPN/URL Database for aparticular manufacturer, as shown in FIGS. 4A1 through 4B.

In one arrangement, each manufacturer-operated client machine 13 wouldbe assigned the task of managing the UPN/URLs associated with aparticular department of the manufacturer (e.g. engineering department,sales department, service/support department, marketing department,advertising department, etc.). The UPN/URLs menus and other CPI relatedinformation collected by each department is maintained within a localUPN/URL Database 202 on the department's client machine 13, and isperiodically transmitted to a Manufacturer's UPN/URL Database 203 hostedon the network Internet server 133 In addition to providing the clientmachine behind the corporate firewall with http, e-mail and ftpservices, the network Internet server 133 is also equipped with an EDI(e.g. EDI or XML/ICE) software solution which enables periodic uploadingof the manufacturer's UPN/URL Database 203 to the Central UPN/URLDatabase Management Subsystem 9, shown in FIG. 2C

Another arrangement, each manufacturer-operated client machine 13 wouldbe assigned the task of managing the UPN/URLs associated with aparticular department of the manufacturer (e.g. engineering department,sales department, service/support department, marketing department,advertising department, etc.). The UPN/URLs menus and other CPI relatedinformation collected by each department is maintained within a localUPN/URL Database 202 on the department's client machine 13, and isperiodically transmitted directly to the Central UPN/URL DatabaseManagement Subsystem 9, shown in FIG. 2C. In such an alternativeembodiment of the present invention, the network Internet server 133would provide each client machine behind the corporate firewall withhttp, e-mail and ftp services in a conventional manner, but not maintaina central manufacturer's UPN/URL database 202.

The primary advantage of the above described techniques for distributedUPN/URL management hereof is that such techniques provide manufacturerswith a revolutionary way of am and means for enlisting the differentdepartments within the organization, having different businessperspectives, goal and resources, to create “up-to-date” links betweenUPN's on their consumer products and the diverse types of consumerrelated information resources published on the Internet, all inconcerted effort to achieve the sales, marketing and support programs ofthe company in a unified manner. Using the system and method of thepresent invention, symbolic links between the manufacturer products andpublished information resources on the Internet (e.g. WWW) can beimpressed upon the minds of consumers as they seek access to suchcurrent information at home, in the office, in physical and electronicstores, as well as on the road.

Preferably, each manufacturer-operated client machine 13 on the LAN (orWAN) of FIG. 2C will be equipped with OS program software, Web-browserprogram software and RDBMS program software configured so that anUPN/URL manager (e.g. assigned to a particular department within thecompany) can easily link (i) URLs associated with consumer productrelated information on the WWW, to (ii) the UPN of a particular productregistered with the IPI finding subsystem 2 of the present invention. Asshown in FIG. 2C 1, this can be achieved by providing a UPN/URL datalinking function between a GUI-based window associated with aWeb-document editing/browser application (e.g. Microsoft Explorerbrowser program) and a GUI-based window associated with a UPN/URL datalink management program (e.g., MicroSoft Access or SQL RDBMS program),running either on each manufacturer-operated client machine, or on amanufacturer-operated server connected to the manufacturer's LAN or WAN,whereto Internet connectivity is enabled in a manner known in the art.As will be described below, this UPN/URL data linking function can berealized in a number of different ways.

One way of realizing this UPN/URL linking function is to create andinstall a plug-in module within the Web browser program with whichconsumer product information can be viewed on the WWW. The function ofthe plug-in module would be to write the URL of the currently viewed Webdocument (viewed by the browser program) into the currently selected URLfield within the UPN/URL data link management program. Using thismethod, the UPN/URL manager would perform the following procedure: firstopen the UPN/URL data link management program; select the URL field tobe filled (i.e. written into); open the browser program; browse onto aWeb document containing consumer product information related to theselected UPN information field; and then select the UPN/URL link buttonon the browser's control panel enabled by virtue of the plug-in moduleof the present invention.

Another way of realizing this UPN/URL linking function is to use amulti-tasking/multi-threading operation system (OS), such as UNIX orsome version thereof, into which support has been designed tosimultaneously run the Web browser program and the UPN/URL data linkmanagement program, as shown in FIG. 2C 1. Using this method, theUPN/URL data linking program would include URL importing functionalitiesof the plug-in module designed above so that when a desired Web documentis being browsed by the Web browser program, the URL of the currentlydisplayed Web document will be automatically written into the currentlyselected URL information field in the UPN/URL data link managementprogram upon selecting, for example, a “URL Import” button provided foron the GUI of the UPN/URL data link management program.

Another way of realizing this UPN/URL linking function is to provide theenterprise of each manufacturer with a consumer product informationcatalog subsystem (RDBMS) 450 (shown in FIG. 2C) for storing andmanaging media-rich consumer product information content relating toeach and every UPN-indexed product that the manufacturer makes, sellsand/or distributes to retailers along the retail supply and demandchain. As shown in FIG. 2C, such a consumer product informationmanagement database subsystem 450 can be realized as a standalonedatabase application supported on one or more client machines operablyconnected to the LAN or WAN of the manufacturer's enterprise, and or asa network database information server connected to the LAN or WAN andbeing accessible to various consumer product information managersworking within the manufacturer's enterprise, and using Web-enabledclient machines (e.g. 13, 202) to carry out consumer product informationcontent management operations across the enterprise, most likely underthe supervision of one or more consumer product brand-managers,responsible for branding of such consumer products. The consumer productinformation management database subsystem 450 can be constructed usingcommercially-available catalog software such as, for example, LexmediaCatalog Pro™ (Regular, Sales Force or Distributer Edition) catalogsoftware, Lexmedia Catalog Pro Express™ catalog software, and/orLexmedia Catalog Showcase™ catalog software, from Lexmedia Corporation,of Fairfield, Conn., (http://www/lexmedia.com/catalog-software.asp),suitably modified using database structures and data linking techniqueso the present invention disclosed herein, and database programmingtechniques and electronic data interchange (EDI) or communicationtechniques well known in database construction and data communicationarts. The consumer product information management database subsystem(RDBMS) 450 will permit storage of all major information file formatsincluding multimedia files such as MPEG, AVI, MP3, JPEG, GIF, Web Pages(HTML), CAD Drawings, PDF files, and the like.

Also, in accordance with the principles of the present invention, theconsumer product information management subsystem 450 will also includeone or more computer programs (e.g. scripts) for (i) analyzing theinformation fields of the RDBMS 450, (ii) automatically generate a setof UPN/URL/Trademark/Product-Descriptor data links for each UPN-indexedproduct with the RDBMS, (iii) locally store each such set ofUPN/URL/Trademark/Product-Descriptor data links within the RDBMS 450,and (iv) ultimately electronic data transport each such set of datalinks to the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9, shown in FIG. 2A,during periodic database updating operations, described in greaterdetail hereinafter.

Notably, the structure of the consumer product information managementdatabase 450 of the present invention can be similar to the databasestructure shown in FIGS. 4A1 through 4D, with the exception that theactual (multi-media) files of the consumer product information relatedto each UPN of the manufacturer will be stored within the RDBMS 450,rather than just the URLs of such information files stored on theInternet, as described in the other illustrative embodiments of thepresent invention disclosed herein in greater technical detail.

One advantage of using the consumer product information managementsubsystem (RDBMS) 450 described above is that the brandmanagers areprovided with useful tools for managing various types of consumerproduct information published by the manufacturer, its agents (e.g.advertising agents) or other third parties publishing consumer productrelated information on the Internet. Another advantage is that, by usingsuch consumer product information tools within the manufacturer'senterprise, the manufacturer (i.e. brandmanager) is given the choice ofeither storing the URLs of consumer product related information, andalso the actual information file content thereof if such multi-mediainformation content is within the control of the manufacturer'soperations, or copyable into the RDBMS 450 under its supervisioncontrol.

In view of the present disclosure described above, many modifications tothe consumer product information management (and data-link generation)subsystem 450 of the present invention will occur to those with ordinaryskill in the art.

While the three methods have been described above for realizing theUPN/URL data linking functionalities provided for onmanufacturer-operated clients (and servers) of the present invention, itis understood that there will be alternative ways of realizing suchfunctionalities within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Manufacturer Website Search Mode of Operation

Referring to FIG. 5B, the high level structure is shown for acommunication protocol that can be used among a client subsystem Ca, anIPD Server Sb, and an IPI Server Sc of the IPI finding and servingsubsystem hereof when it is induced into the Manufacturer Website SearchMode of operation from the point of view of the depicted clientsubsystem. FIG. 6B provides a high level flow chart illustrating thesteps involved in carrying out this communication protocol when the IPIFinding and Serving Subsystem is in its Manufacturer Website Search Modeof operation.

As indicated at Block A in FIG. 6B, when selected from theuser-interface of a bar-code driven IPI Website, the second Check Boxtype button 21B automatically activates the Manufacturer Website SearchMode of the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem by sending an HTTP requestto the IPD Server(s) 11″ based on a URL hot-linked to the selected CheckBox.

As indicated at Block B in FIG. 6B, this causes a particular type ofHTML-encoded document (i.e. called an “HTML form” or “Web formdocument”) residing on the IPD Server(s) 11″ to be sent to the Webbrowser of the requesting client subsystem 13 and displayed on theinformation display frame 20C thereof (requesting this mode of service).As in the Manufacturer Website Search Mode described above, the HTMLform sent in the Manufacturer Website Search Mode may also use any HTMLformat commands, such as headers, paragraphs, and lists, but mustinclude three unique items, namely: the METHOD by which the user inputis to be sent; the ACTION, which specifies a URL to which the user inputis to be sent, presumably, the IPD Server 11″ that will act upon therequest appropriately; and a SUBMIT button, to send the completed formover the Internet via HTTP. In the illustrative embodiment, user input(i.e. a UPC or EAN number associated with a particular consumer product)is obtained by an Input Box, which allows the user (i.e. retail salesclerk or consumer) to type in or scan in a UPC or EAN number assigned toa consumer product on which product related information is sought.

As indicated at Block C in FIG. 6B, the consumer or retail clerk scansthe bar coded consumer product, or enters the UPC or EAN number thereoninto the Input Box of the HTML form, and selects the SUBMIT buttonthereon. In response thereto, the Web browser on the client subsystem 13sends a GET request to the IPD server 11B″ shown in FIG. 2B 2. Whenselecting the SUBMIT button on the HTML form, the Web browser executesthe METHOD associated with the HTML form and sends the stored UPC (orEAN) value to the URL specified by ACTION associated with the HTML form(i.e. the Web browser performs the action specified in the ACTION). TheACTION of the HTML form specifies the URL of the CGI script within thehttp server 11″ that will process the request from the HTML form. Thisamounts to the Web browser constructing a GET request for that URL, withthe arguments (the query string) being attached to the end of the URL.The arguments of the HTML form are specified by the INPUT items of theHTML form (i.e. the UPC or EAN number on the consumer product on whichinformation is sought).

In general, the HTTP and HTML protocols provide three ways to pass theinput (e.g. UPC or EAN number) from the users to CGI scripts on the IPDServer 11 (i.e. HTTP Server). All three CGI scripts accomplish the samething: they allow the Web browser to pass information to the IPD Server11″.

As indicated at Block D in FIG. 6C, the HTTP (http) program on IPDserver 11″ passing the arguments (the UPC or EAN numbers in the querystring) to the CGI script thereon and the CGI script translates thequery string into a proper query for use in searching the RDBMS 9 shownin FIG. 2B 2.

As indicated at Block E in FIG. 6C, the translated query is used tosearch the RDBMS 9 in order to find the set of URLs pointing to HTMLdocuments (i.e. Web Pages) published on the Internet and containinginformation relating to the consumer product having the input UPC or EANnumber. The result returned from the RDBMS 9 is an ASCII recordspecifying the set of URLs pointing to HTML documents published on theInternet and containing information relating to the consumer producthaving the input UPC or EAN number entered into the HTML form. In orderfor the Web browser of the requesting client subsystem to display theresults of the database search using the UPC or EAN input, the ASCIIrecord must be converted into a HTML document (i.e. output HTML form).As indicated at Block F in FIG. 6B, the IPD Server 11″ creates theelements of an output HTML form (Web output form), inserts the resultfrom the RDBMS 11″ into the output form, and sets the Content-type to betext/html. The CGI script may translate, filter, augment and reformatthe result from the database search in any way so long as the result isan HTML document or some format that the Web browser of the clientsubsystem can display.

As indicated at Block G, the menu of URLs retrieved from the databasesearch is displayed in the Web output form. At Block H, the consumer orretail sales clerk can link to a desired consumer product relatedinformation resource (HTML document) by selecting from the informationmenu, the URL anchored to the information resource in the displayedinformation menu.

UPN-Directed Information Access Mode of Operation

Referring to FIG. 5C, the high level structure is shown for acommunication protocol that can be used among a client subsystem Ca, anIPD Server Sb, and an IPI Server Sc of the IPI finding and servingsubsystem hereof when it is induced into the UPN-Directed InformationAccess Mode of operation from the point of view of the depicted clientsubsystem. FIG. 6C provides a high level flow chart illustrating thesteps involved in carrying out this communication protocol when the IPIFinding and Serving Subsystem is in its UPN-Directed Information AccessMode of operation.

As indicated at Block A in FIG. 6C, when selected from theuser-interface of an IPI Website, the third Check Box type button 21Cautomatically activates the UPN-Directed Information Access Mode of theIPI Finding and Serving Subsystem by sending an HTTP request to the IPDServer(s) 11 based on a URL hot-linked to the selected Check Box.

As indicated at Block B in FIG. 6C, this causes a particular type ofHTML-encoded document (i.e. called an “HTML form” or “Web formdocument”) residing on the IPD Server(s) 11″ to be sent to the Webbrowser of the requesting client subsystem 13 and displayed on theinformation display frame 20C thereof (requesting this mode of service).As in the Manufacturer Website Search Mode described above, the HTMLform sent in the UPN-Directed Information Access Mode may also use anyHTML format commands, such as headers, paragraphs, and lists, but mustinclude three unique items, namely: the METHOD by which the user inputis to be sent; the ACTION, which specifies a URL to which the user inputis to be sent, presumably, IPD Server 11′ that will act upon the requestappropriately; and a SUBMIT button, to send the completed form over theInternet via HTTP. In the illustrative embodiment, user input (i.e. aUPC or EAN number associated with a particular consumer product) isobtained by an Input Box, which allows the user (i.e. retail sales clerkor consumer) to type in or scan in a UPC or EAN number assigned to aconsumer product on which product related information is sought.

As indicated at Block C in FIG. 6C, the consumer or retail clerk scansthe bar coded consumer product, or enters the UPC or EAN number thereoninto the Input Box of the HTML form, and selects the SUBMIT buttonthereon. In response thereto, the Web browser on the client subsystem 13sends a GET request to the IPD Server 11™ shown in FIG. 2B 2. Whenselecting the SUBMIT button on the HTML form, the Web browser executesthe METHOD associated with the HTML form and sends the stored UPC (orEAN) value to the URL specified by ACTION associated with the HTML form(i.e. the Web browser performs the action specified in the ACTION). TheACTION of the HTML form specifies the URL of the IPD SERVER 11 that willprocess the request from the HTML form. This amounts to the Web browserconstructing a GET request for that URL, with the arguments (the querystring) being attached to the end of the URL. The arguments of the HTMLform are specified by the INPUT items of the HTML form (i.e. the UPC orEAN number on the consumer product on which information is sought).

As indicated at Block D, the IPD server 11™ passes the arguments (theUPC or EAN numbers in the query string) to a CGI script runningtherewithin which translates the Web query string into a proper query tothe RDBMS 9 shown in FIG. 2B 1.

As indicated at Block E, the translated query is used to search theRDBMS 11A and find the set of URLs (i) linked to the registered consumerproduct (by the manufacturer or agent thereof) assigned the UPC or EANnumber entered into the Input Box of the HTML form, and (ii) pointing toHTML documents on the WWW containing particular types of consumerproduct related information. The result returned from the RDBMS 9 is anASCII record specifying the set of URLs satisfying the above criteria.In order for the Web browser of the requesting client subsystem todisplay the results of the database search during this mode, the ASCIIrecord must be converted into a HTML document (i.e. Web output form).

As indicated at Block F, a CGI script within IPD server 11™ creates theelements of an HTML document (Web output form), inserts the result fromthe RDBMS 9 into the Web output form, and sets the Content-type of thisHTML document to text/html. In the illustrative embodiment, when the Weboutput form is displayed by the requesting client subsystem, a set ofURLs categorized by particular product information types is displayed onthe information display frame 20C. Notably, this set of URLs points toparticular types of consumer product related information registeredwithin the RDBMS 9 of the system.

As indicated at Block G, the consumer or retail sales clerk can thenaccess and display any HTML document (Web page) located at a particularURL within the information menu by selecting the same using a touchscreen, mouse, or other input selection device.

Trademark-Directed Search Mode of Operation

Referring to FIG. 5D, the high level structure is shown for acommunication protocol that can be used among a client subsystem Ca, anIPD Server Sb, and an IPI Server Sc of the IPI finding and servingsubsystem hereof when it is induced into the Trademark-Directed SearchMode of operation from the point of view of the depicted clientsubsystem. FIGS. 6D1 through 6D23, taken together, provides a high levelflow chart illustrating the steps involved in carrying out thiscommunication protocol when the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem is inits Trademark-Directed Search Mode of operation.

As indicated at Block A in FIG. 6D 1, when selected from theuser-interface of an IPI Website, the fourth Check Box type button 21Dautomatically activates the Trademark-Directed Search Mode of the IPIFinding and Serving Subsystem by sending an HTTP request to the IPDServer(s) 11″ based on a URL hot-linked to the selected Check Box.

As indicated at Block B in FIG. 6D 1, this causes a particular type ofHTML-encoded document (i.e. called an “HTML form” or “Web input formdocument”) residing on the IPD Server(s) 11″ to be sent to the Webbrowser of the requesting client subsystem 13 and displayed on theinformation display frame 21C thereof (requesting this mode of service).As in the UPN-Directed Information Access Mode described above, the HTMLform sent in the Trademark-Directed Search Mode may also use any HTMLformat commands, such as headers, paragraphs, and lists, but mustinclude three unique items, namely: the METHOD by which the user inputis to be sent; the ACTION, which specifies a URL to which the user inputis to be sent, (e.g. a CGI script running within http server 11″ thatwill act upon the request appropriately); and a SUBMIT button, to sendthe completed form over the Internet via HTTP. In the illustrativeembodiment, user input (i.e. the trademark or tradename used with aparticular consumer product on which information is sought) is obtainedby an Input Box, which allows the user (i.e. retail sales clerk orconsumer) to type in the trademark or tradename believed or otherwiseknown to be used in connection with a particular consumer product onwhich information is sought.

As indicated at Block C in FIG. 6D 1, the consumer or retail clerkenters the trademark or tradename into the Input Box of the HTML form,and selects the SUBMIT button thereon. In response thereto, the Webbrowser on the client subsystem 13 sends a GET request to the IPD server11″ shown in FIG. 2B 2. When selecting the SUBMIT button on the HTMLform, the Web browser executes the METHOD associated with the HTML formand sends the stored trademark value to the URL specified by ACTIONassociated with the HTML form (i.e. the Web browser performs the actionspecified in the ACTION). The ACTION of the HTML form specifies the URLof the CGI script running within the IPD server 11″ that will processthe request from the HTML form. This amounts to the Web browserconstructing a GET request for that URL, with the arguments (the querystring) being attached to the end of the URL. The arguments of the HTMLform are specified by the INPUT items of the HTML form (i.e. thetrademark or tradename used in connection with the consumer product onwhich information is sought).

As indicated at Block D in FIG. 6D 1, the IPD server 11″ passes thearguments (the trademark or tradename in the query string) to a CGIscript running therewithin and the CGI script translates the Web querystring into a proper query to the RDBMS 9, as shown in FIG. 2B 2.

As indicated at Block E in FIG. 6D 1, the translated query is used tosearch the RDBMS 9 in order to find all registered consumer productshaving product descriptions (PD) registered within the RDBMS 9 that arerelated to the trademark or tradename entered into the Input Box of theHTML form. The result returned from the RDBMS 9 is an ASCII recordspecifying each triplet data set (Product Description, UPN andManufacturer) which satisfies the above trademark search criteria (to aparticular degree) entered into the Input Box of the HTML form. In orderfor the Web browser of the requesting client subsystem to display theresults of the database search during this mode, the ASCII record mustbe converted into another HTML form for use in refining the consumerproduct information display.

At Block F in FIG. 6D 2, a CGI script within IPD server 11″ creates theelements of another HTML document (Web auxiliary input form), insertsthe preliminary search result from the RDBMS 9 into the Web auxiliaryinput form, and sets the Content-type of this HTML document totext/html. In the illustrative embodiment, the Web auxiliary-input formhas an ACTION which specifies the URL of a CGI script within the IPDserver 11″ that will act upon the request appropriately as if the systemwere in the UPN-Directed Information Access Mode. The Web auxiliaryinput form includes an Input Box listing all triplet data sets (i.e.Product Description, Manufacturers and UPN number) satisfying the inputtrademark search criteria entered in the primary Web input document,described hereinabove. The qualifying triplets listed in the Input Boxare provided with a Radio-Button to allow the consumer or retail salesclerk to select one of the triplets from the list thereof for use in asubsequent refined search of the RDBMS 9. The Web auxiliary-input formalso has a SUBMIT button for sending the HTML form back to the IPDserver 11″ for processing.

As indicated at Block G in FIG. 6D 2, when the consumer or retails salesclerk makes a selection with the Radio-Button and then selects theSUBMIT button, the Web browser on the client subsystem 13 sends arequest to the HTTP program on the IPD server 11″ to get the completedHTML form.

As indicated at Block H in FIG. 6D 2, the HTTP (httpd) program on IPDserver 11″ passes the arguments (the trademark or tradename in the querystring) to a CGI script running therewithin and the CGI scripttranslates the Web query string into a proper query for use in searchingRDBMS 9, as shown in FIG. 2B 2.

At Block I in FIG. 6D 2, the query is used to search the RDBMS 9 inorder to find the set of URLs (i) related to the registered consumerproduct (by the manufacturer or agent thereof) assigned the UPN,(Product Description and Manufacturer) entered into the Input Box of theHTML (auxiliary) form, and (ii) pointing to HTML (or FTP) documents onthe WWW containing particular types of consumer product relatedinformation. The result returned from the RDBMS 9 is an ASCII recordspecifying the set of URLs satisfying the above criteria. In order forthe Web browser of the requesting client subsystem to display theresults of the database search during this mode, the ASCII record mustbe converted into an HTML document (i.e. Web output form).

At Block J in FIG. 6D 2, the IPD Server 11″ creates the elements of anHTML document (Web output form), inserts the result from the RDBMS 9into the Web output form, sets the Content-type of this HTML document totext/html, and sends the HTML form to the requesting client subsystem.

At Block K in FIG. 6D 3, the set of URLs categorized by particularproduct information types is displayed within the output HTML form onthe information display frame 20C. Notably, this set of URLs points toparticular types of consumer product related information registeredwithin the RDBMS 9 of the system by the manufacturer of the product orits agent(s) thereof using the UPN/URL management tools accessibleduring the Manufacturer/Product Registration Mode hereof.

As indicated at Block L in FIG. 6D 3, the consumer or retail sales clerkcan access and display any HTML document (Web page) located at aparticular URL within the displayed information menu by selecting thesame using a touch screen, mouse, or other input selection deviceavailable at the requesting client subsystem 13.

Product-Description Directed Mode of Operation

Referring to FIG. 5E, the high level structure is shown for acommunication protocol that can be used among a client subsystem Ca, anIPD Server Sb, and an IPI Server Sc of the IPI Finding and ServingSubsystem hereof when it is induced into the Product-DescriptionDirected Mode of operation from the point of view of the depicted clientsubsystem. FIGS. 6E1 through 6E3 provides a high level flow chartillustrating the steps involved in carrying out this communicationprotocol when the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem is in itsProduct-Description Directed Mode of operation.

As indicated at Block A in FIG. 6E 1, when selected from theuser-interface of an IPI Website, the fifth Check Box type button 21Eautomatically activates the Product-Description Directed Search Mode ofthe IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem by sending an HTTP request to theIPD Server(s) 11″ based on a URL hot-linked to the selected Check Box.

As indicated at Block B in FIG. 6E 1, this causes a particular type ofHTML-encoded document (i.e. called an “HTML form” or “Web input formdocument”) residing on the IPD Server(s) 11″ to be sent to the Webbrowser of the requesting client subsystem 13 and displayed on theinformation display frame 21C thereof (requesting this mode of service).As in the Trademark-Directed Search Mode described above, the HTML formsent in the Product-Description Directed Search Mode may also use anyHTML format commands, such as headers, paragraphs, and lists, but mustinclude three unique items, namely: the METHOD by which the user inputis to be sent; the ACTION, which specifies a URL to which the user inputis to be sent, (e.g. a CGI script running within the IPD server 11″ thatwill act upon the request appropriately); and a SUBMIT button, to sendthe completed form over the Internet via HTTP. In the illustrativeembodiment, user input (i.e. the description or descriptor for aparticular consumer product on which information is sought) is obtainedby an Input Box, which allows the user (i.e. retail sales clerk orconsumer) to type in the product description for a particular consumerproduct on which information is sought.

As indicated at Block C in FIG. 6E 1, the consumer or retail clerkenters the product description into the Input Box of the HTML form, andselects the SUBMIT button thereon. In response thereto, the Web browseron the client subsystem 13 sends a GET request to the IPD server 11″.When selecting the SUBMIT button on the HTML form, the Web browserexecutes the METHOD associated with the HTML form and sends the storedproduct description to the URL specified by ACTION associated with theHTML form (i.e. the Web browser performs the action specified in theACTION). The ACTION of the HTML form specifies the URL of a CGI scriptwithin the IPD server 11″ that will process the request from the HTMLform. This amounts to the Web browser constructing a GET request forthat URL, with the arguments (the query string) being attached to theend of the URL. The arguments of the HTML form are specified by theINPUT items of the HTML form (i.e. the product description for theconsumer product on which information is sought).

As indicated at Block D in FIG. 6E 1, the http program on the IPD server11″ passes the arguments (the product description in the query string)to a CGI script therewithin and the CGI script translates the Web querystring into a proper query to the RDBMS 9 shown in FIG. 2B 2′.

As indicated at Block E in FIG. 6E 1, the translated query is used tosearch the RDBMS 9 in order to find all registered consumer productshaving trademarks or tradenames within the RDBMS 9 that are linked tothe product description entered into the Input Box of the HTML form. Theresult returned from the RDBMS 9 is an ASCII record specifying eachtriplet data set (Trademark, UPN and Manufacturer) which satisfies theabove product-description search criteria (to a particular degree)entered into the Input Box of the HTML form. In order for the Webbrowser of the requesting client subsystem to display the results of thedatabase search during this mode, the ASCII record must be convertedinto another HTML form for use in refining the consumer productinformation display.

At Block F in FIG. 6E 2, the IPD server 11″ creates the elements ofanother HTML document (Web auxiliary input form), inserts thepreliminary search result from the RDBMS 9 into the Web auxiliary inputform, and sets the Content-type of this HTML document to text/html. Inthe illustrative embodiment, the Web auxiliary-input form has an ACTIONwhich specifies the URL of a CGI script within IPD server 11″ that willact upon the request appropriately as if the system were in theUPN-Directed Information Access Mode. The Web auxiliary input formincludes an Input Box listing all triplet data sets (i.e. Trademark,Manufacturer, and UPN number) satisfying the input product-descriptionsearch criteria entered in the primary Web input document, describedhereinabove. The qualifying triplets listed in the Input Box areprovided with a Radio-Button to allow the consumer or retail sales clerkto select one of the triplets from the list thereof for use in asubsequent refined search of the RDBMS 9. The Web auxiliary-input formalso has a SUBMIT button for sending the HTML form back to the IPDserver 11″ for processing.

As indicated at Block G in FIG. 6E 2, when the consumer or retails salesclerk makes a selection with the Radio-Button and then selects theSUBMIT button, the Web browser on the client subsystem 13 sends arequest to the IPD server 11″.

As indicated at Block H in FIG. 6E 2, the http program on the IPD server11″ passes the arguments (the product description in the query string)to a CGI script therewithin and the CGI script translates the Web querystring into a proper query for use in searching RDBMS 9 shown in FIG. 2B2.

At Block I in FIG. 6E 2, the query is used to search the RDBMS 9 inorder to find the set of URLs (i) linked to the registered consumerproduct (by the manufacturer or agent thereof) assigned the UPN,(Trademark and Manufacturer) entered into the Input Box of the HTML(auxiliary) form, and (ii) pointing to HTML (or FTP) documents on theWWW containing particular types of consumer product related information.The result returned from the RDBMS 9 is an ASCII record specifying theset of URLs satisfying the above search criteria. In order for the Webbrowser of the requesting client subsystem to display the results of thedatabase search during this mode, the ASCII record must be convertedinto a HTML document (i.e. output HTML form).

At Block J in FIG. 6E 2, the IPD server 11″ creates the elements of anoutput HTML form, inserts the result from the RDBMS 9 thereinto, andsets the Content-type of this HTML document to text/html and sends arequest to the IPD server 11″ to get the HTML form.

At Block K in FIG. 6E 3, the set of URLs categorized by particularproduct information types is displayed within the output HTML form onthe information display frame 20C. Notably, this set of URLs points toparticular types of consumer product related information registeredwithin the RDBMS 9 of the system by the manufacturer of the product orits agent(s) thereof using the UPN/URL management tools accessibleduring the Manufacturer/Product Registration Mode hereof.

As indicated at Block L in FIG. 6E 3, the consumer or retail sales clerkcan access and display any HTML document (Web page) located at aparticular URL within the displayed information menu by selecting thesame using a touch screen, mouse, or other input selection deviceavailable at the requesting client subsystem 13.

The protocols described above can be realized using any suitableprogramming language including, for example, an object-orientedprogramming language such as the Java™ programming language.

CPIR-Enabling Applet Download/Distribution Mode of System Operation

As illustrated in FIGS. 4F1, 4F2, 4H1, 4H2, 4J1, 4J2, 4L1 and 4L2, acentralized Library of CPIR-enabling Applets/Servlets is created,management and stored within the UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9hereof in accordance with the above-described methods. In accordancewith the principles of the present invention, these CPIR-enablingApplets/Servlets must be widely distributed to retailers, manufacturers,advertisers and others about the globe and thereafter widely embeddedwithin HTML-encoded documents, as taught in detail hereinabove, topractice this aspect of the present invention in a commerciallysuccessful manner. The function of the CPIR-enabling AppletDownload/Distribution mode of operation of the system is to enable theworld-wide distribution of this centralized Library of CPIR-enablingApplets/Servlets, in accordance with the licensing program associatedwith each such CPIR-enabling Applet.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the CPIR-enabling Applet Download/Distribution modeis automatically initiated by the user depressing mode control button21F displayed on the control panel 20B of the UPC Request (Central orRetail) GUI of the illustrative embodiment, but certainly elsewhere inpractice. The user can be anyone with the requisite authority to use theApplets in accordance with the terms of the licensing program to beenforced in connection therewith. Understandably, the terms of suchlicensing programs will be based on prevailing business conditions andwill vary from embodiment to embodiment of the present invention.

As best illustrated in FIG. 4F 2, upon entering theUPC-Encoded-Applet-Download/Distribution mode, the IPD server 11 of theillustrative embodiment will serve a custom Java GUI as shown in FIGS.4M1 and 4M2, for carrying out Applet tag downloading and licensingprocedures. The GUI will provide (1) links to the centralized Library ofCPIR-Enabling Applets/Servlets maintained within the UPN/URL DatabaseManagement Subsystem 9, as well as (2) launchable GUIs for downloadingselected UPN-identifiable CPIR-enabling Applets to specifiedInternet-enabled client computer subsystems 13 or Internetinformation/application servers operated by the user interfacing withthis mode of system operation. Notably, electronic datainterchange/exchange processes (e.g. based on EDI, XML/ICE or otherprotocols) can be used to carry out the downloading of CPIR-enablingApplets and other files between client computers and the IPD server 11during this and other modes of operation.

For licensing purposes, it may be desirable or necessary to have theuser supply “end-use” types of information to the IPD server 11 duringthis mode of operation in order to identify on which information serversor domains (e.g. www.ipfcorp.com) particular CPIR-enabling Applets areto be used (i.e. embedded within HTML-documents and launched therefromby the end-user which will typically be the consumer). In someinstances, licenses for CPIR-enabling Applets will carry a fee to bepaid by the downloader; in other instances, there will be no feerequirements. Such details will depend on prevailing business conditionsalong the retail supply and demand chain.

Once a user has downloaded CPIR-enabling Applets onto a designated(target) client machine or server, the user will have built a localLibrary (or Catalog) of CPIR-enabling Applets for use during Appletembedding operations which will typically be carried out alongside ofother HTML-code authoring and management operations involving, forexample, the design, construction, management and maintenance ofWeb-pages, EC-stores, on-line (retail and wholesale) product catalogs,on-line auction site pages, Web advertisements, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 4F 2, during Step D1 of the Applet embedding process,CPIR-enabling requests are accessed from the local Library ofCPIR-enabling Applets typically over an IP-type local area network (LAN)or wide area network (WAN). Then during Step D2, the accessedCPIR-enabling Applet is inserted within the HTML code of the targetdocument. This step of the process will typically involve use ofHTML-editing tools of one sort or another, as discussed herein above.

Once the CPIR-enabling Applet has been embedded within the targetHTML-encoded documents, the HTML-encoded can then be published in itsintended publishing environment so that consumers can instantly initiateUPN-directed searches within the centralized UPN/URL Database ManagementSubsystem 9 hereof by clicking on the CPIR-enabling Applet, andthereafter display the search results within an independent Java GUIwhich performs the function of a “cyber-kiosk” provided at theconsumer's point of presence on the WWW.

Accessing the Modes of Operation of the IPI Finding System Hereof byLaunching CPIR-Enabling Applets Embedded within HTML-Encoded DocumentsAssociated with Electronic-Commerce Enabled Stores and ProductCatalogues, Internet Advertisements, On-Line WWW Auction Sites, and theLike

As described in detail hereinabove, a consumer can automatically producea CPID-enabling Java GUI (i.e. “cyber-kiosk”) by clicking upon aCPIR-enabling Java Applet that has been embedded within the HTML code ofany Web-document. As illustrated in FIGS. 4N2, 4O2, 4P2, 4Q2, 4R2 and4S2, each consumer product information display (CPID) enabling GUI ofthe illustrative embodiment is a new and independent Web browser havinga Netscape-type framework, in which the six mode selection buttons 21Athrough 21G of the illustrative embodiment are displayed. When suchCPID-enabling GUIs are displayed at the consumer's point of presence onthe WWW, the consumer is free to select any one of the mode selectionbuttons and cause the system to enter the selected mode and preciselydeliver the information service associated therewith without disturbinghis or her present Cyberspace experience. The description of these modeswill be described in detail hereinbelow with reference to FIGS. 2-1,2-2, 2A and 2C.

Registration Solicitation Mode of the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem

In the illustrative embodiments of the present invention, thedata-synchronized IPD Servers of the system hereof 11 are also providedwith an “Automated Registration Solicitation Mode” programmed by thewebmaster (or administrator) of the IPI Web-site(s). In this mode, eachIPD Server 11 analyzes the data collected within its Non-IPI RegistrantDatabase. The data analysis procedure seeks to determine: (1) which“unregistered” products in the Non-IPI Registrant Database were thesubject of an information request at the IPD Server; (2) how many hits(requests) were made for the product within a predetermined length oftime (e.g. one week) by Internet users; and (3) whether the number ofrequests exceeds a particular “request threshold” (e.g. 100 requests inweek period). Then for each unregistered product which has exceeded therequest threshold, the IPD Server automatically sends an E-mail messageto the associated company. Preferably, the E-mail message is designed to(i) inform the company of recent information requests for theirproducts, and (ii) solicit the registration of such products with theIPD Server. Once registered with the system, such products can be easyfound on the Internet by anyone wishing to use the product informationfinding techniques of the present invention.

Operation of the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem and Method Hereof

When the Check Box button 21C is selected from the control frame 20B,the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem enters its “UPN-DirectedInformation Access Mode” illustrated in FIG. 6C. Preferably, the user isprovided with a choice of language (e.g. English, German, French,Japanese, Korean, Russian, Chinese, etc.) by way of an appropriatemenu-selection screen. After the desired language selection is made, thehome page is displayed upon the client subsystem's display screen. Atypical display screen produced from the IPD Server might read asfollows:

“Welcome to UPC-REQUEST™, the only Universal Product-Information Findingand Serving System on the Internet.

Have you purchased a particular product, are you considering thepurchase of a particular product, on which you would like current,up-to-date information from the manufacturer or advertiser?

Look no further than the UPC-REQUEST™ Universal Product-InformationFinding and Serving System.”

When the subsystem is in its “UPN-Directed Information Access Mode”, aWeb-based information resource pertaining to any commercial productregistered with the system can be displayed and selected by the user inorder to automatically access the same from the Internet. Suchinformation resources can include advertisements, specifications,operation descriptions, product simulations, purchase information,maintenance information, warranty and servicing information, productupdates, distributor/reseller information, incentives (e.g. discounts,rebates, coupons, etc.), electronic data transaction screens, etc. Inthis mode, desired product information is obtained by simply enteringthe registered product's UPN (e.g. its UPC's 12 digit numerical string)into the Inout Box of the HTML form displayed in the information displayframe 20C. Such data entry can be carried out manually using a keyboarddata entry techniques, or automatically using a bar code symbol readerconnected to the client subsystem as discussed in detail above. Whenusing the seeded IPI Database described hereinabove, only the first sixdigits of the UPC number need be entered into the dialogue box. Anexemplary display screen produced from the IPD Server might be asfollows:

“Simply enter the 12 digit UPC the particular product; click REQUEST,and then wait for the display of the list of Web locators (URLs) atwhich the desired product information can be found on the Internet?”

In response to such data entry operations, a list or menu of URLsorganized according to information subfield classifications as setforth, for example, in FIG. 4A 2, are displayed on client subsystem Camaking the request of the IPD Server 11. At this stage, another displayscreen associated with the HTML form produced from the IPD Server 11would appear with an exemplary message as follows:

“Please select the URL from the displayed URL Menu using the informationsubfield product information category displayed above. This will connectyou to the product information related to the selected URL. You canreturn to the URL display list at anytime.”

Upon selecting a particular URL from the displayed URL menu, video andaudio information content are automatically served from the IPI Server12 hosting the selected URL and thereafter displayed on the clientsubsystem 13.

When the Check Box button 21D is selected, the IPI Finding and SearchingSubsystem enters its Trademark-Directed Search Mode, illustrated inFIGS. 6D1 through 6D3. Preferably, the user is provided with a choice oflanguage (e.g. English, German, French, Japanese, Chinese, etc.) by wayof an appropriate menu-selection screen.

When the system is in its Trademark-Directed Search Mode, apredesignated information resource pertaining to any commercial productregistered with the system can be automatically accessed from theInternet and displayed from the Internet browser of a client subsystem13. Such information resources can include advertisements,specifications, operation descriptions, product simulations, productupgrade information, purchase information, maintenance information,warranty and servicing information, etc. In this mode, desired productinformation is obtained by simply entering the registered product'strademark(s) and/or associated company name into the Input Box of theHTML form displayed on the information display frame 20C of the clientsubsystem. An exemplary message associated with the HTML form producedfrom the IPD Server 11 might be as follows:

“Simply enter the trademark used in connection with the particularproduct and/or the company name of the product's manufacturer; clickREQUEST, and then wait for the display of a list of Web locators (URLs)at which desired types of product information can be found on theInternet”

In response to such data entry operations, a list of URLs organizedaccording to the information subfield classifications set forth in FIG.4A 2 are displayed on client subsystem placing the request. Uponselecting a particular URL from the displayed list thereof, video andaudio information content are automatically served from the IPI Serverhosting the selected URL and thereafter displayed on the clientsubsystem.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the UPN-DirectedInformation Access Mode and the Trademark-Directed Search Mode can beintegrated into a single server application so that there is no need ordesire to manually select between mode activation buttons 21C and 21D,respectively. In such an embodiment, the interaction between the IPDServer and the requesting client subsystem can be designed to supportthe following Web server display screens and script underlying the same:

“Welcome to UPC-REQUEST™, the only Universal Product-Information Findingand Serving System on the Internet.

Have you purchased a particular product, or considering the purchase ofa particular product, on which you would like current, up-to-dateinformation from the manufacturer or advertiser?

“Look no further than the UPC-REQUEST™ Universal Product InformationFinding and Serving System.”

“Simply enter the 12 digit UPC number of the particular product, clickREQUEST, and select from the displayed menu of Web locators (URLs) tofind the desired product information on the WWW.

“If you do not know the UPC number associated with the product you arelooking for, then simply enter the trademark used in connection with theparticular product and/or the company name of the manufacturer, thenclick REQUEST, and wait for the display of the list of Web locators(URLs) at which the desired product information can be found.

“Please select the URL from the displayed URL list by clicking on it.This will connect you to the product information related to the selectedURL. You can return to the URL display list at anytime.”

Notably, such an integrated Web server application can be realized in avariety of ways. The exact words and graphics used to create aninteractive script for an integrated Web server application will varyfrom embodiment to embodiment of the present invention.

In instances when an IPI Website in accordance with the presentinvention is being served to consumers in retail environments using acomputer-based kiosk as shown in FIG. 3A 2, the consumer as well asretail sales clerk is presented with the option of ascertaining theprice of an product in the store. This is achieved by simply depressingthe “Price Display” button 21F on Control Strip 20B, shown in FIG. 3C,to engage the system in its price lookup/display mode. In this mode ofoperation, the consumer then need only scan the UPC bar code symbol onthe product using bar code scanner 26 in order for the price to belooked-up in the Product Price Database maintained in the Retailer'sPrice Server (RPS) 35, and displayed on the kiosk display screen. Ingeneral, the Product Price Database of the hosting retailer can be madeaccessible by the computer-based kiosk in several possible ways. Asshown in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2, one way is to place the retailer's RPS onInternet (by using an HTTP server) and connect the RPS to the IPD Server11 of the system by way of a CGI well known in the art. The CGI can bemade accessible only by authorized client subsystems (e.g.computer-based kiosks installed in the hosting retailer's store andpossibly administrators of the information delivery system). Analternative technique of connecting the Product Price Database to eachcomputer-based kiosk would involve providing the RPS with a directinterface to each computer-based kiosk in the hosting retailer'sstore(s). This alternative technique may require the use of computernetworking technology well known in the art.

Method of Accessing and Displaying and Consumer Product RelatedInformation Within Retail Shopping Environments and Transporting theSame to Remote Locations for Subsequent Use and/or Review by Consumersat Home, Work, School or on the Road

As explained hereinabove, the problem of providing consumers with copiesof accessed consumer product information within retail shoppingenvironments is addressed by enabling the consumer at retail-based barcode driven kiosks to: (1) display an e-mail envelope within the displayframe 20C of the Web browser program thereof, by manually selectingcontrol button 21G provided along the control frame 20B, shown, forexample, in FIGS. 3A14A and 3A14B; (2) capturing, saving, and attachingany accessed/displayed consumer product document to the displayed e-mailenvelope 116 by manual selection of the “capture, save and attach”button 110 (or voiced-directed selection thereof) within the displayede-mail envelope of FIG. 3A 14, or capturing and recording the URL of theCPI-related document being displayed by manual selection of the “captureand record” button 112 (or voice-directed selection thereof) within thedisplayed e-mail envelope 116 of FIG. 3A 16B; (3) addressing the e-mailenvelope 116 with the consumer/shopper's home, office or like e-mailaddress by either reading an e-mail address encoded within a bar code(or magnetic-stripe) structure or manually entering the same within theaddressee field 115; and (4) sending the stuffed e-mail envelope bymanual selection of the “send” button 114 within the displayed e-mailenvelope.

At this stage, the first illustrative embodiment of the CPI transportmethod (i.e. service) of the present invention referred for hereinafteras the “SEND-IT-HOMEm” e-mail service will now be described withreference to FIGS. 3413A through 3A14.

As indicated at Block A in FIG. 3A 13A, the first step of the firstillustrative embodiment of the CPI transport method involves launching aconsumer product information (CPI) capture and transportapplication/service on an Internet-enabled bar code driven (BCD) CPIkiosk of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3A9 through 2A10D. Asindicated in FIG. 3A 14, this application launching process can beinitiated by selecting application/service button 21G in the controlstrip of the kiosk browser display screen. When the application has beenlaunched, a CPI-transporting “electronic-mail” envelope 116 will appearwithin the display frame of the browser's GUI, as shown in FIG. 3A 14.As shown therein, the (Java-enabled) GUI for the CPI transporting emailenvelope is provided with:

-   -   (i) a first single-click button 110 for capturing and storing        thereon, as an HTML-encoded document, any CPI related document        that is being displayed on the display screen of the BCD CPI        kiosk 13 within the retail shopping environment, shown in FIGS.        3A9 through 3A10D;    -   (ii) a second single-click button 114 for transporting copies of        the envelope 116 to the e-mail address of the consumer/shopper        or friend/agent thereof;    -   (iii) a consumer e-mail address field 115 for entering the        e-mail address of the consumer/shopper or friend thereof, to        which a copy of the e-mail envelope 116 can be automatically        sent during envelope transport; and    -   (iv) a retailer e-mail address field 117 containing a preset        e-mail address of the retailer operating the kiosk, indicating        the retail store location, and possibly the retail department        from which the CPI-transporting envelope 116 was sent on the        time and date of the electronic message transmission.

As indicated at Block B in FIG. 3A 13A, the consumer enters into theconsumer e-mail address field of the envelope 116, either his or here-mail address or the e-mail address of a friend to which he or shewould like to send consumer product related information. Notably, thisoperation can be achieved in a variety of different ways, namely: bymanually typing the e-mail address using a pop-up keyboard or keypadprovided for by the kiosk itself; using voice recognition commandtechnology embodied within the kiosk; by reading a bar coded consumeridentification card 150, as shown in FIG. 3A 10B, having the consumer'se-mail address and possibly other information items (e.g.shopper/consumer identification number, credit card information, name,address and/or status within a particular loyalty/courtesy programencoded therewithin if desired; or, by reading a magnetic-stripe typeconsumer identification card 150 encoded with the same or similarinformation using a magnetic stripe reader 46 interfaced with the BCDCPI kiosk, as shown in FIG. 3A 10B.

As indicated at Block C in FIG. 3A 13B, the consumer/shopper uses theUPN, trademark, product descriptor and/or company name associated withthe sought after product, to access consumer product related informationresource of interest on the WWW, and display the same on the displayscreen of the BCD CPI kiosk within the retail shopping environment. Whenusing the UPN-Directed Search Mode of operation of the system, a UPN/URLmenu as shown in FIGS. 4P2, 4R2 and 452, will be displayed in thedisplay frame of the browser screen. When using the Trademark DirectedSearch Mode, a list of URLs linked to the input trademark will bedisplayed in the display frame of browser screen.

As indicated at Block D in FIG. 3A 13B, each instant theconsumer/shopper has found a consumer product information resource ofparticular interest on the WWW, which he or she wants to send a copythereof to a home or work e-mail address, the consumer/shopper selectsthe first single-click button 110 on the CPI-transporting envelope(indicated as “CAPTURE, SAVE & ATTACH” in FIG. 3A 14). This causes theinformation resource being displayed on the display screen of the BCDCPI kiosk to be automatically captured and stored as an HTML-encodeddocument attached to the CPI-enabling envelope, as intended in FIG. 3A14.

As indicated at Block E in FIG. 3A 13B, the consumer/shoppersequentially repeats Steps C and D for each consumer product informationresource on the WWW to be captured, stored and attached to the openedCPI-transporting envelope 116 being displayed on the display screen ofthe kiosk. Typically, there will be a maximum number of documents to beattached to the CPI-enabling envelope using present e-mail protocols at6 understood, however, that a larger number of documents may betransportable within a single e-mail envelope using future 3-mailprotocols.

As indicated at Block F in FIG. 3A 13C, upon capturing, storing andattaching a desired number of consumer product related informationresources to the CPI-transporting envelope 116, the consumer/shopperthen selects the second single-click button 114 on the CPI-transportingenvelope (i.e. indicated as “SEND” in FIG. 3A 14) so as to transport theCPI-transporting envelope 116 to the e-mail address entered within theconsumer e-mail address field of the CPI-transporting envelope.

As indicated at Block G in FIG. 3A 13C, an information record of eachCPI-transporting envelope and the contents thereof is maintained at theretailer e-mail server 84 and a copy thereof is transported to thecentral e-mail server 88, shown in FIGS. 3A9 and 3A10. Thereafter, suchinformation on the central e-mail server 88 can be analyzed to determinetrends and patterns in consumer shopping behavior in differentgeographic locations and retail shopping departments and the like. Theresults of such analysis are stored in retailer and manufacturer RDBMSs88A and 89B, respectively.

The second illustrative embodiment of the CPI transport method (i.e.service) of the present invention, referred to hereinafter as theSEND-IT-HOME™ e-mail service, will now be described with reference toFIGS. 3A15A through 3A1G.

As indicated at Block A in FIG. 3A 15A, the first step of the secondillustrative embodiment of the CPI transport method involves launching aconsumer product information (CPI) capture and transportapplication/service on an Internet-enabled bar code driven (BCD) CPIkiosk of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3A9 through 3A10D. Asindicated in FIG. 3A 16, this application launching process can beinitiated by selecting application/service button 21G in the controlstrip of the kiosk browser display screen. When the application has beenlaunched, a CPI-transporting “electronic-mail” envelope will appearwithin the display frame of the browser's GUI, as shown in FIG. 3A 16.As shown therein, the (Java-enabled) GUI for the CPI transporting emailenvelope is provided with:

-   -   (i) a first single-click button 110 for capturing and storing        therein, as an HTML-encoded document, any CPI related document        that is being displayed on the display screen of the BCD CPI        kiosk 13 within the retail shopping environment, as shown in        FIGS. 3A9 through 3A10D;    -   (ii) a second single-click button 114 for transporting copies of        the envelope 116 to the e-mail address of the consumer/shopper        or friend/agent thereof;    -   (iii) a consumer e-mail address field 115 for entering the        e-mail address of the consumer/shopper, to which a copy of the        e-mail envelope 116 can be automatically sent during envelope        transport;    -   (iv) a retailer e-mail address field containing a preset e-mail        address of the retailer operating the kiosk, indicating retailer        store location, and possibly retailer department from which the        CPI-transporting envelope 116 was sent on the time and date of        the electronic message transmission; and    -   (v) a message field 119 to record captured URLs, as well as        other notes of the consumer.

As indicated at Block B in FIG. 3A 15A, the consumer enters his or here-mail address into the consumer e-mail address field of the envelope116, his or her e-mail address or the e-mail address of a friend towhich he or she would like to send consumer product related information.Notably, this operation can be achieved in a variety of different ways,namely: by manually typing the e-mail address using a pop-up keyboard orkeypad provided for by the kiosk itself; using voice recognition commandtechnology; by reading a bar coded consumer identification card 150, asshown in FIG. 3A 10B, having the consumer's e-mail address and possiblyother information items (e.g. shopper/consumer identification number,credit card information, name, address, and/or status within aparticular retailer loyalty/country program) encoded therewithin ifdesired; or by reading a magnetic-stripe type consumer identificationcard 150′ encoded with the same or similar information using a magneticstripe reader 46 interfaced with the BCD CPI kiosk, as shown in FIG. 3A10B.

As indicated at Block C in FIG. 3A 15B, the consumer/shopper uses theUPN, trademark, product descriptor and/or company name associated withthe sought after product, to access a consumer product relatedinformation resource of interest on the WWW, and display the same on thedisplay screen of the BCD CPI kiosk within the retail shoppingenvironment. When using the UPN-Directed Search mode of operation of thesystem, a UPN/URL menu, as shown in FIGS. 4D2, 4R2 and 4S2, will bedisplayed in the display frame of the browser screen. When using theTrademark Directed Search mode, a list of URLs linked to the inputtrademark, as shown in FIG. 4T 2, will be displayed in the display frameof browser screen.

As indicated at Block D in FIG. 3A 15B, each instant theconsumer/shopper has found a consumer product information resource ofparticular interest, which he or she wants to send the corresponding URLto a home or work e-mail address, the consumer/shopper selects the firstsingle-click button 110 on the CPI-transporting envelope 116′ (indicatedas “CAPTURE AND RECORD” in FIG. 3A 16). This causes the URL of theinformation resource being displayed on the display screen of the BCDCPI kiosk to be automatically captured and recorded within the messagefield 119 of the CPI-enabling envelope 116″. Optionally, the consumermay type a short note in this field using a “pop-up” keyboard launchedby “pop-up” keypad button 121 on envelope 116′.

As indicated at Block E in FIG. 3A 15B, the consumer/shoppersequentially repeats Steps C and D for each consumer product informationrelated URL to be captured and recorded within the message field 119 ofthe opened CPI-transporting envelope 116′.

As indicated at Block F in FIG. 3A 15C, upon capturing and recording adesired number of consumer product related URLs to the CPI-transportingenvelope 116′, the consumer/shopper then selects the second single-clickbutton 114 on the CPI-transporting envelope (i.e. indicated as “SEND” inFIG. 3A 16) so as to transport the CPI-transporting envelope to thee-mail address entered within the consumer e-mail address field 115 ofthe CPI-transporting envelope.

As indicated at Block G in FIG. 3A 15C, an information record of eachCPI-transporting envelope and the contents thereof is maintained at theretailer e-mail server 84 and a copy thereof is automaticallytransported to the central e-mail server 88. Thereafter, suchinformation on the central e-mail server 88 can be analyzed to determinetrends and patterns in consumer shopping behavior in differentgeographic locations and retail shopping departments and the like. Theresults of such analysis are stored in retailer and manufacturer RDBMSs89A and 89B, respectively.

The above-described methods of e-mail based CPI transport may bemodified in various ways to satisfy particular requirements of theapplication at hand. Also, these methods may be modified to providenovel ways of transporting displayed CPI-related Web documents to remotee-mail addresses while a consumer/shopper is visiting an E-commerceenabled store or on-line product catalog.

A Best Mode Embodiment of IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem of thePresent Invention

The IPI finding system (i.e. subsystem) of the present invention can berealized on the Internet in a variety of different ways. Each embodimentof the system will provide manufacturers, retailers, consumers andsponsors with various benefits hitherto unachievable using prior artsystems and methodologies. A best mode embodiment of the system will nowbe described below with reference to Intent-to-Use (ITU) servicemarksthat Assignee hereof has sought to register under the Lanham Act andultimately use in reducing the Internet-based consumer productinformation finding system to commercial practice in the near future.The inventive subject matter herein disclosed can be readily applied tocarry out such an Internet-based information finding and deliverysystem.

According to the best mode embodiment, the IPI Finding and ServingSubsystem 2, referred to hereinabove as the “UPC REQUEST™ ConsumerProduct Information Finding System” in FIGS. 7 and 8 hereof, comprisesan integration of several subsystems including, for example: the UPCREQUEST™ Manufacturer/Product Registration Subsystem 33 (e.g. WebDocument Server 30 and Workstation 31) including Web-based and ValueAdded Networks (VAN)-based infrastructure and processes 14 forsupporting EDI and UPN/URL database management operations bymanufacturers and/or their agents; the UPC REQUEST™ Database ManagementSubsystem 9 interfaced with the UPC REQUEST™ Manufacturer/ProductRegistration Subsystem 33; numerous UPC REQUEST™ kiosks (e.g. clientsubsystems 13) installed in retail stores, retail outlets and the like,each having a bar code symbol driven Internet browser providing accessto the Internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP); and all ofthe Web-enabled client subsystems 13 located in consumer homes, inconsumer offices and on the road, having access to the Internet throughan ISP. While distributed geographically, these subsystems areintegrated through the infrastructure of the Internet.

The function of the UPC REQUEST™ Manufacturer/Product RegistrationSubsystem 33 is two-fold: (1) to enable qualified manufacturers toquickly and easily register their companies with the System (i.e. theUPC REQUEST™ Database Management Subsystem 9) by way of a Web-enabledcomputer system of their choice; and (2) to enable manufacturers and/ortheir agents to (i) easily link, manage and update their UPC numbers andlinked URLs using any Web-enabled computer system 13 running the EDI (orXML/EDI) based UPN/URL Database Management software (downloaded duringmanufacturer registration), and periodically transmit such updatedinformation to the UPC REQUEST™ Database Management Subsystem in orderto update each manufacturer's information within the UPC REQUEST™Database (i.e., IPI Database shown in FIGS. 4A1 and 4A2).

The function of the UPC REQUEST™ Database Management Subsystem 9 is tomaintain and update the UPC REQUEST™ Database (shown in FIGS. 4A1, 4A2and FIGS. 4C through 4C4), which contains various information itemsregarding registered manufacturers, service-subscribing retailers, andregistered consumer products including, for example, UPC (and/orUPC/EAN) numbers assigned to consumer products and linked URLs pointingto published HTTP-encoded documents (i.e. Web pages) containingparticular types of information related to such products.

Within the store of each retailer subscribing to the UPC REQUEST™Consumer Information Service, the function of the UPC REQUEST™ kiosk isto provide consumer access to the UPC REQUEST Retailer Website (e.g. UPCREQUEST Retail @ Wal-Mart, UPC REQUEST Retail @ Home Depot, etc.). TheUPC REQUEST™ Retailer Website served to both physical-kiosk andcyber-kiosks within the retailer's brick and mortar and EC stores,respectively, provides consumer access to UPN/URL information links (i)relating only to those products sold by the retailer and maintainedwithin the UPC REQUEST™ Database Management System by the manufactureror agent thereof (i.e. achieved by applying MIN-based UPN-filteringtechniques to the UPN/URL database, and (ii) not containing distributionchannel information. If desired by the subscribing retailer, its UPCREQUEST Retailer Website can be freely served to customers over theInternet, e.g. accessible from a hot-link embedded somewhere in theretailer's Web-site.

Within the realm of the UPC REQUEST™ System 2, the function of theWeb-enabled client computer system 13 of each consumer, wherever it maybe located (e.g. at home, in the office or on the road), is to provideconsumer access the UPC REQUEST™ Central Website which is freely servedover the Internet to any consumer having a Web-enabled computer system.Unlike each UPC REQUEST Retailer Website maintained by the UPC REQUEST™Database Management System, the UPC REQUEST™ Central Website providesconsumer access to UPN/URL information links relating to every productmaintained within the UPC REQUEST™ Database Management System by everyregistered manufacturer. Any attempt by a consumer to access informationfrom a particular UPC REQUEST Retailer Website regarding a product notsold in the retailer's store will automatically result in a link over tothe UPC REQUEST™ Central Website.

Depending on the particular implementation of the system hereof, itmight be desirable or necessary for particular or all UPC Request™Central Website(s) to be designed so that is does no support“Web-clipping” or functionally equivalent techniques so that hand-heldwireless (client) computing devices 13, whether or not equipped with abar code symbol reader, and free to move anywhere including Retailstores subscribing to UPC Request Retailer WWW site services, cannotreceive “Web-Clipped” HTML-encoded pages served from UPC Request™Central WWW Site, Retailers subscribing to UPC Request Retailer WWWsites can be confident the consumers/shoppers cannot access UPC Request™Central WWW Service within retail store environmentally using wirelessweb-enabled hand-held devices having display panels substantiallysmaller than the dimensions of web pages being served therefrom.

A Brief Description of the UPC REQUEST™ Information Service Suite

When installed in retail stores, the UPC REQUEST™ System provide willprovide seven revolutionary Internet-based consumer information servicesunder the servicemarks HOME-PAGE™, INFO-LINK™, CYBER-SERVICE™,TRADE-MARK™, PRODUCT-TYPE™, UPC-ENCODED-APPLET-DOWNLOAD, andSEND-IT-HOME™, respectively. Each of these information services isaccessible to consumers and sales clerks alike from a UPC REQUEST™Retailer Website (e.g. UPC REQUEST™ @ Home Depot Website) accessedwithin a retail store, as well as from on the UPC REQUEST™ CentralWebsite.

In the UPC REQUEST™ version of the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem ofthe present invention, the INFO-LINK™ provision is supported during andenabled by Manufacturer/Product Registration Mode; the HOME-PAGE™provision is supported during and enabled by the Manufacturer WebsiteSearch Mode; the CYBER-SERVICE™ provision is supported during andenabled by UPN-Directed Information Access Mode; TRADE-MARK™ provisionis supported during and enabled by the Trademark-Directed Search Mode;PRODUCT-TYPE™ provision is supported during and enabled by theProduct-Description Directed Search Mode; andUPC-ENCODED-APPLET-TAG-DOWNLOAD/DISTRIBUTE(, provision is supportedduring and enabled by the UPC-Encoded Applet Tag Download/DistributionMode. Each of these system modes have been described in great detailhereinabove.

To constantly remind the public at large of the “fee-paying” sponsors ofthe UPC REQUEST™ System, all Web pages displayed by the UPC REQUEST™System in a retail store (e.g. on UPC REQUEST™ @ Home Depot Website), oron the UPC REQUEST™ Central Website, will be displayed within athree-frame display “framework” comprising a sponsor frame, a controlframe, and an information frame.

The “sponsor frame”, located on the upper-most portion of the Internetbrowser screen, displays the sponsor's greeting such as, for example,“Welcome to UPC REQUEST, sponsored by Visa and Federal Express.”

The “control frame”, located on the left-most side of the Internetbrowser screen, will provide six mode activation buttons. The first modeactivation button 21A enables consumers to request the INFO-LINK™service. The second mode activation button 21B enables consumers torequest the HOME-PAGE™ service. The third mode activation button 21Cenables consumers to request CYBER-SERVICE. The fourth mode activationbutton 21D enables consumers to request TRADE-MARK™. The fifth modeactivation button 21E enables consumers to request PRODUCT-TYPE™. Thesixth mode activation button 21F enables consumers to requestUPC-ENCODED-APPLET-DOWNLOAD/DISTRIBUTE™. A seventh button 21G enablesthe launching of the SEND-IT-HOME™ e-mail transport service of thepresent invention. An additional button can be provided to enable thedownload a free plug-in software module which automatically installs a“Product Information” button on the graphical user interface of theconsumer's Internet browser, so that the UPC REQUEST™ Central Websitecan be accessed anywhere in the world with a single click of the mousebutton on any pointing device.

The “information frame”, occupying the balance of the Internet browserscreen, will display: all HTTP (i.e. Web) and FTP pages launched byin-store scanning of UPC-labeled products during HOME-PAGE™ orCYBER-SERVICE™; all HTTP and FTP pages launched by clicking onhypertext-links embedded within Web pages accessed through a particularUPC REQUEST™ Retailer Website in retail stores or from the UPC REQUEST™Central Website; as well as all information search and display (menu)screens served by a UPC REQUEST™ Retailer Website to the UPC REQUEST™Central Website.

While the web-enabled kiosks of the present invention 13 have been shownherein as employing a commercial-type Internet browser program (i.e.http client program), preferably with instructions on browsing in retailshopping environments, it is understood that the browser programsemployed in such kiosks can be customized for each retailer in whosestore the kiosk is installed, and could be provided with “minimal”browser control buttons (e.g. Page Forward→, Page Backward←, Stop{circle around (×)}, and Reload), which, in cooperation with the controlbuttons in the control frame 20B, provide a suitable GUI for use in bothbrick and mortar and electronic retail shopping environments.

In retail stores subscribing to the UPC REQUEST™ System, HOMEPAGE™manufacturer's Website search site will enable consumers toautomatically access the WWW Home Page of any registered manufacturer byscanning the UPC (or UPC/EAN) bar code symbol on any product thereofusing the bar code symbol reader associated with a UPC REQUEST™ kiosk.In general, the UPC REQUEST™ kiosk can be realized by any Web-enabledcomputer system 13 having an Internet browser program, on-line access tothe UPC REQUEST™ Retailer Website, and optionally a touch-screen displaypanel. The UPC REQUEST™ kiosk may, however, be realized as aninexpensive Internet access terminal comprising a Web-enabled networkcomputer (NC), an LCD touch-screen panel, and a laser scanning bar codesymbol reader integrated within an ultra-compact housing that ismountable within diverse locations within retail stores. As shown inFIG. 3A 5, the UPC REQUEST™ kiosk may also be integrated within aconventional Point Of Sale (POS) station having a laser scanning barcode symbol reader and a large rotatable LCD display panel. Being aseasy to install as a telephone modem, UPC REQUEST™ kiosks of this designcan be widely deployed throughout retail stores world-wide with minimalmodifications to the preexisting information infrastructure, andillustrated hereinabove.

At home, in the office, or on the road, HOME-PAGE™ enables consumers toautomatically access the WWW Home Page of any registered manufacturer byentering the UPN (or UPC/EAN number) on any product into the searchscreen served up by a particular UPC REQUEST™ Retailer Website, or bythe UPC REQUEST™ Central Website.

INFO-LINK™, carried out using EDI (or XML/EDI) based UPN/URL DatabaseManagement software (downloaded from Manufacturer/Product RegistrationSubsystem 33), enables manufacturers to simply relate (link), manage andupdate therein (i) the UPN (or UPC/EAN number) on any product with (ii)the Internet address (i.e. URL) of product-related Web pages publishedon the Internet by the manufacturer, its agents, or others, forsubsequent access and display by consumers using CYBER-SERVICE™. Whilethe INFO-LINK™ service would be made accessible through UPC REQUEST™kiosks 13 in retail stores (i.e. for the sake of vendors who frequentthe same), the actual UPN/URL information linking and managementoperations associated with the INFO-LNK™ service will typically occur inthe “back-offices” of registered manufacturers using Internet-enabledcomputer systems accessing INFO-LINK™ through a hot-linked URL posted onthe UPC REQUEST™ Retailer Website and/or the UPC REQUES™ CentralWebsite.

UPC-ENCODED-APPLET-DOWNLOAD™, carried out using EDI (or XML/EDI) basedprocesses, enables manufacturers (via the system administrator) todistribute CPIR-enabling Applets/Servlets to retailers, manufacturers,advertisers and others about the globe so that they may embed the samewithin HTML-encoded documents in order that consumers can instantlyinitiate single mouse-click UPN-directed, Trademark-directed and/orProduct-Descriptor-directed CPI searches within the centralized UPN/URLDatabase Management Subsystem 9 hereof and display the search resultswithin a CPID-enabling Java GUI which performs the function of a“cyber-kiosk” provided at the consumer's point of presence on the WWW.In the context of the illustrative embodiment of the system of thepresent invention, such single mouse-click initiated CPI searches solvea major fear of most retailers in both Physical and Cyber Space retailenvironments, namely: getting a customer into their store, and thenhaving them step out to get some more advice, information or endorsementbefore making a purchase, or worse yet, never returning to make apurchase, and instead shopping elsewhere for the sought after product.

CYBER-SERVICE™, accessible through a particular UPC REQUEST™ RetailWebsite or the UPC REQUEST™ Central Website, enables consumers at home,in the office, on the road, and in retail stores, to quickly accessparticular types of product-related information which have beenpublished on the WWW by registered manufacturers, their agents andothers about consumer products registered with the UPC REQUEST™ DatabaseManagement System. CYBER-SERVICE™ displays such product-relatedinformation in a menu-like format organized by particular informationtypes (e.g., Product Advertisements, Product Endorsements, ProductReviews, Product Rebates and Incentives, Product Description, ProductManual/Instructions, Product Updates (at FTP Sites), Product Returns,Warranty and Repair Service, Direct Product Purchase, Retailers,Wholesalers, Complementary Products, Company Annual Report, StockPurchase, etc.). Each displayed information menu associated with aconsumer product contains hyper-linked URLs pointing to HTML-documentscontaining particular types of product-related information linked to theproduct by the manufacturer or its agent.

When CYBER-SERVICE™ is selected from a particular UPC REQUEST™ RetailWebsite, each product-related Web page listed in the displayed“information menu” can be accessed and displayed simply by touching thecorresponding Internet address (i.e. URL) displayed on the touch-screendisplay panel of the UPC REQUEST™ kiosk in the retail store. WhenCYBER-SERVICE™ is selected from the UPC REQUEST™ Central Website, eachproduct-related Web page listed in the displayed “information menu” canbe accessed and displayed simply by clicking the display screen thereofaccessed by an Internet-enabled computer system.

TRADE-MARK™, accessible through a particular UPC REQUEST™ Retail Websiteor the UPC REQUEST™ Central Website, enables consumers to quickly accessparticular types of product-related information from the UPC REQUEST™Database, by using the trademark or tradename of the related product.When this mode of service is requested, a search screen is displayedwithin the information frame so that the consumer or sales clerk canenter the trademark or tradename for the related consumer product.

PRODUCT-TYPE™, accessible through a particular UPC REQUEST™ RetailWebsite or the UPC REQUEST™ Central Website, enables consumers toquickly access particular types of product-related information from theUPC REQUEST™ Database, by using a descriptive term for the relatedproduct. When this mode of service is requested, a search screen isdisplayed within the information frame so that the consumer or salesclerk can enter a descriptive term for the related consumer product.

SEND-IT-HOME^(SM) e-mail service, accessible through a particular UPCREQUEST™ Retail Website or UPC REQUEST™ Central Website, enables aconsumer to send to a desired e-mail address at home, work or elsewhere,consumer product information on the WWW, accessed from aWeb/e-mail-enabled kiosk in a retail shopping environment.

To maximize value to a particular retail store's customers, each UPCREQUEST™ Retail Website served at each retail store subscriber would bemade accessible to consumers outside their retail stores (e.g. at home,in the office or on the road) by several Internet access methodsincluding, for example: through a hot-linked URL posted on the retailstore's Website, pointing to the UPC REQUEST™ Retail Website; through apublicly accessible URL, e.g. http://www.upcrequest.com/ @ retail store;etc.

Benefits Provided to Sponsors Promoting The UPC REOUES™ System

HOME-PAGE™ and CYBER-SERVICE™ will foster customer loyalty and patronagewith sponsors by providing consumers with valuable product-relatedinformation before and after product purchases.

CYBER-SERVICE™ will provide sponsors with an economical and effectiveway of marketing products and services to their customers and shoppersworldwide.

HOME-PAGE™ will provide sponsors with valuable advertising space on theUPC REQUEST™ Central Website, for subleasing to retailers, manufacturersand business concerns.

INFO-LINK™ and UPC-ENCODED-APPLET-DOWNLOAD/DISTRIBUTE will providesponsors with an effective way of promoting their products and/orservices among manufacturers, retailers and consumers using the UPCREQUEST™ System.

Benefits Provided To Customers Using the UPC REOUEST™ System in RetailStores

HOME-PAGE™ will allow customers to automatically access Home Page of anymanufacturer's Website by simply scanning the UPC bar code symbol on anyproduct thereof at any UPC REQUEST™ information kiosk in a retailer'sstore.

CYBER-SERVICE™ will allow customers to quickly access (by touch-screenURL selection) particular types of product-related information that havebeen published on the World Wide Web (WWW) by manufacturers, theiragents or others, and registered within the UPC REQUEST™ Databasethrough INFO-LINK™.

TRADE-MARK™ will allow customers to quickly access product relatedinformation menus from the UPC REQUEST™ Database using trademarks ortradenames used in connection with the product on which information isbeing sought.

PRODUCT-TYPE™ will allow customers to quickly access product relatedinformation menus from the UPC REQUEST™ Database using descriptive termsrelated to the product on which information is being sought.

SEND-IT-HOME™ will allow customers to simply transport home, to theoffice or elsewhere, consumer product information accessed fromWeb-enabled kiosks installed in retail shopping environments.

Benefits Provided to Customers Using the UPC REQUEST™ System at Home, inthe Office, or on the Road

HOME-PAGE™ will allow customers to automatically access the Home Page ofany manufacturer's Website by simply entering the UPC (or UPC/EAN)number on any consumer product, into a UPC REQUEST™ search screen servedfrom the UPC REQUEST™ Central Website and accessible to anyone using anInternet-enabled computer system at home, in the office, or on the road.

CYBER-SERVICE™ will allow customers to quickly access from the UPCREQUEST™ Database, particular types of product-related information thathave been published on the WWW by manufacturers, their agents or others,and registered within the UPC REQUEST™ Database through the INFO-LNK™service.

TRADE-MARK™ will allow customers to quickly access product relatedinformation menus from the UPC REQUEST™ Database using trademarks ortradenames used in connection with the product on which information isbeing sought.

PRODUCT-TYPE™ will allow customers to quickly access product relatedinformation menus from the UPC REQUEST™ Database using descriptive termsrelated to the product on which information is being sought.

Benefits Provided to Retailers Providing UPC REOUEST™ System in TheirStores

HOME-PAGE™ and CYBER-SERVICE™ will foster customer loyalty and patronagewith retailers by providing shoppers with valuable product-relatedinformation before and after product purchases.

CYBER-SERVICE™ will provide retailers with an economical and effectiveway of marketing its products to customers and shoppers within itsstores.

CYBER-SERVICE™ will provide retail sales personnel with an opportunityto learn about a retailer's products by scanning the UPC bar codesymbols on such products, and selecting product-related Web pages forin-store review and sales-training sessions whenever customer demandallows.

HOME-PAGE™ and CYBER-SERVICE™ will provide retailers with valuableadvertising space in their stores for subleasing to manufacturers andothers (e.g. local sponsors) in order to self-finance the store-widedelivery of the UPC REQUES™ Service.

TRADE-MARK™ will allow sales clerks and customers to quickly accessproduct related information menus from the UPC REQUEST™ Database usingtrademarks or tradenames used in connection with the product on whichinformation is being sought.

PRODUCT-TYPE™ will allow sales clerks and customers to quickly accessproduct related information menus from the UPC REQUEST™ Database usingdescriptive terms related to the product on which information is beingsought.

SEND-IT-HOME™ will allow retail sales clerks to send informationrequests on products to product manufacturers.

Proposed Revenue Model for the UPC REQUEST™ System

The UPC REQUEST™ System will generate revenue from at least foursources: Manufacturer Fees paid by manufacturers who want to registertheir products and product-related Web pages with the UPC REQUEST™Database; Retailer Fees paid by retailers who want to provide bar codedriven access to the UPC REQUEST™ System in retail stores; Sponsor Feespaid by Sponsors of the UPC REQUEST™ System; and Advertiser Fees paid byadvertisers on the UPC REQUEST™ Central Website.

Manufacturers desiring to register their consumer products andproduct-related Web pages within the UPC REQUEST™ Database would pay aone-time Manufacture Registration Fee, based on volume of sales. Anannual maintenance fee may be desired or necessary. Minimally, such feesshould cover the cost of the EDI and UPN/URL Database Managementsoftware (and updates) automatically downloaded to each manufacturerupon registration. Such Web-based EDI software enables manufacturers toeasily manage the UPC numbers and Web page URLs associated with theirchanging product lines, and automatically transmit such information tothe UPC REQUEST™ Manufacturer/Product Registration Subsystem in orderthat the UPC REQUEST™ Database Management Subsystem is periodicallyupdated.

Retailers providing bar code driven access to the UPC REQUEST™ System intheir retail stores would pay an annual Retailer License Fee based onthe number of UPC REQUEST™ kiosks deployed therein (within store isles,at POS stations and behind information/service counters).

Each sponsor of the UPC REQUEST™ System would pay an annual Sponsor Feefor the right to display its name, trademark/servicemark and/or messagein hypertext within a selected portion of the sponsor frame displayed bylicensed UPC REQUEST™ kiosks in retail stores, as well asInternet-enabled computer systems accessing the UPC REQUEST™ CentralWebsite. For marketing reasons, it would be desirable to limit thenumber of sponsors of the UPC REQUEST™ System at any instant in time.

Advertisers, who advertise on the UPC REQUEST™ Central Website(s), wouldpay an Advertiser Fee based on the time and location that the Webadvertisement is displayed.

Usage of the UPC REQUEST™ In Diverse Retail Markets

The UPC REQUEST™ System can be used to provide consumers quick access touseful product-related information in diverse types of retail shoppingenvironments including, for example, retail superstores, discountdepartment stores, home-improvement stores, computer superstores,drugstores and pharmacies, music stores, video rental stores,bookstores, supermarkets, grocery stores and the like. Each of theseretail markets provides a unique environment in which the UPC REQUEST™System can be used by manufacturers of consumer products to effectivelydeliver product-related information to consumers in retail stores, athome, in the office or on the road, before and after consumer purchases.

As the UPC REQUEST™ System provides manufacturers with an effective wayand means of making direct contact with present and future customers, itenables both manufacturers and retailers alike to influence demand inways that have hitherto have been unavailable. Such features of the UPCREQUEST™ System present enormous growth opportunities in retail supplyand demand chain management across diverse markets within our everexpanding global economy.

Modifications of the Illustrative Embodiments of the Invention

The present invention has been described in great detail with referenceto the above illustrative embodiments. It is understood, however, thatnumerous modifications will readily occur to those with ordinary skillin the art having had the benefit of reading the present disclosure.

For example, in the illustrative embodiments described hereinabove,separate databases are maintained by each data-synchronized IPD Serverfor (i) registered products within the system, and (ii) non-registeredproducts within the system. Notably, the reasons for using a dualdatabase design of this sort would be based largely on economics,namely: only those companies who have paid the required maintenance (orregistration) fees get their products and linked-URLs “registered” withthe system, whereas non-paying companies and organizations do not gettheir products and linked-URLs registered with the system, regardless ofhow such product-URL information is ascertained (e.g. by solicitationversus data-mining).

Thus it is contemplated that in some embodiments of the presentinvention, each IPD Server will be designed to maintain only a singledatabase for maintaining product-URL information currently available onthe Internet. In such embodiments of the present invention, the conceptof “non-registered” products will be altogether avoided, since thesystem implementation and administration may be designed not to requirecompanies to pay maintenance (or registration) fees in order that theirproducts and linked URLs are registered with the IPI system. Instead,some alternative income producing scheme will be used in suchembodiments of the present invention (e.g. user fees, subscription fees,Internet browser-licensing fees, etc.) for system maintenance andadministration.

When practicing the system and method of the present invention, it ispreferred that the UPC label (with its human-readable UPC number)assigned to the particular product be attached, embossed or otherwiseembodied on an accessible surface thereof. In addition to applying theUPC label to the external packaging of the product, it is preferred thatthe UPC label also be printed on any and all product instructions andmanuals provided with the product. In this way, the UPC number can beeasily read by a human being and then used to access a desired type ofproduct information using the system and method of the presentinvention.

In order that the system hereof can be used to find informationpertaining to large products such as automobiles, motorcycles, skidoos,farm machinery, boats, etc., the present invention also contemplatesassigning UPNs (e.g. UPC or EAN numbers) to such products and attaching,embossing or otherwise embodying the same on an accessible surfacethereof. Also, the UPN label can be printed on all instruction bookletsand/or operating manuals normally provided with the product. In thisway, information related to any particular product that is postedanywhere on the Internet and linked to URLs registered with the IPDServers 11 of the system hereof can be readily found using the uniquelyassigned UPC number assigned thereto by the manufacturer at the time ofsale. Notably, multimedia information about such products can be mosthelpful in regard to the operation, repair and servicing of suchproducts.

The system and method of the present invention has been shown to combinethe use of UPNs, trademarks and company names when making a productinformation request of the system. It is understood, however, that thepresent invention can be practiced using any one of these items ofinformation, alone or in combination with each other, in order to placea product information request with the system hereof.

Also, while the system of the illustrative embodiment has been shownused to collect, transport and serve information related to consumerproducts, it is understood that the system can be used to link the URLsof HTML (and other Internet) documents with consumer services assigneduniform service numbers (USN) which may be based on the UPC or EANnumbering system, or some other suitable system. In such alternativeembodiments, the IPI Database would contain information pertaining touniform service numbers (USN) that have been linked to the URLs of HTMLor like documents on the Internet by the manufacturer or its agents, inessentially the same manner as conducted for consumer products. SuchUSN/URL management operations can be carried out in a similar to thatdescribed in connection with UPN/URL management along the retail supplyand demand chain.

In connection with the consumer service information embodiment of thepresent invention, it is understood that at present, few (if any)services have been assigned a UPC (or EAN) number in the manner thatnearly all consumer products have been assigned in the contemporaryperiod. In spite of this fact, however, the present inventioncontemplates the need and utility of widespread assignment of UPC, EANor similar numbers by service providers to particular services (as wellas the imprinting of UPC, EAN or similar symbols on printed servicebrochures and advertisements. Notably, assigning uniform service numbers(USNs) to particular services, and labeling printed and graphicalbrochures and advertisements with such universal numbers, will provide anumber of new opportunities hitherto unavailable.

In particular, service-related information could be easily found (i.e.located and accessed) on Web-sites using the system and method of thepresent invention, and thereafter the service easily procured through anelectronic data transaction. In accordance with the present invention,this can be achieved by uniquely identifying and assigning “particular”services by a Universal Service Code (USC) which has many if not all ofthe attributes of a conventional UPC. While not necessary, a singledigit may be optionally added to the USC in order to demark thatservices, rather than products, are being identified. An example of suchUSC labeling would be printing an assigned UPC label (number) on:admission tickets to a theatrical, dramatic or musical performanceand/or its playbill; admission tickets to a movie; admission tickets toa concert and/or its concert program; admission tickets to a sportingevent and/or its sports program; admission tickets to an art, science orhistory museum; admission tickets to the zoo or botanical gardens; andthe like. The UPC label would be encoded to identify a particular eventat which an entertainment, educational or professional service isprovided. The UPC label printed on the tangible medium associated withthe promotion of or access to the particular service would then beregistered with the IPSI Registrant Database of the system hereof, alongwith the name of the provider of the service, and a list of URLs thatidentify the Web locations at which particular kinds of informationrelated to the particular service can be found (in accordance with thecategories of FIG. 4A 2).

Application of the System and Methods of the Present Invention to Printand Electronic Publishing Industries

Notably, newspaper and magazine articles, product and service brochures,product discount coupons, certificates, documents and other forms ofinformation-carrying products embodied within a print medium (e.g.paper, plastic, metal, glass, etc.) are properly deemed “consumerproducts” within the scope and spirit of the present invention,regardless of whether of not such products are assigned a UPC or UPC/EANlabel by its manufacturer (e.g. publisher/printer). Thus, the system andmethods of the present invention described hereinabove can be used tomanage and serve print-media related information on the WWW to consumers(e.g. readers), relating to particular publications (e.g. articles,stories, product advertisements, etc.) embodied in a publishedprint-medium.

Stated more specifically, the system and methods of the presentinvention can be used to manage symbolic links created between (i) anUPN uniquely assigned to an information carrying product or objectembodied in any form of media (e.g. printed publication existing inphysical space, or other form of information carrying media), and (ii)the URL specifying the location of an information resource (e.g. Webdocument) on the Internet (e.g. WWW). In such application environments,the UPN can be any unique number assigned to the information carryingproduct embodied in any physical medium. In general, each UPN can beexpressed in numerical or alphanumerical form, and in the case ofprint-type media, will be encoded within a machine-readable structure,such as a bar code symbol structure, associated with the informationcarrying product. Preferably, each unique UPN will be assigned to theinformation carrying product by a source of an authority assumingmanagerial responsibility for the universal product/service (i.e.object) numbering system being used. Such organizations may be public,quasi-public, or private, depending on the circumstances at hand.

In general, Web-based information resources located at URLs to besymbolically linked to particular UPNs assigned to information carryingproducts by a particular publisher can be served from any Internet(http) information server, including e-commerce enabled servers 12, 12′,12A and 12B, shown in FIGS. 2-1 and 2-2 and described in great detailhereinabove.

UPN/URL management subsystem 9, server 33, administration computer 32,and the EDI-enabled client subsystems shown in FIGS. 2-1, 2-2, 2A, and2C, and described in great detail hereinabove can be used by publishers(e.g. a particular type of product manufacturer) to symbolically linkeach UPN assigned to particular information carrying products (e.g.newspaper and magazine articles, product advertisements, etc.) to one ormore URLs specifying product-related information on the Internet. Asshown in FIG. 2D, a plurality of publisher-operated client subsystems(i.e. manufacturer-operated client subsystems) are connected to a localor wide area TCP/IP-based network, for the purpose of enabling differentdepartments within the publishing organization (e.g. advertising, worldnews, business, technology, sports, finance, education, arts andleisure, etc.) manage different types of UPN/URL links based on the typeof information contained within the URL-specified information resourceon the WWW. In the back-offices of publishing firms (e.g. newspaperpublishing houses, magazine publishers, product advertisement flyerpublishers/printers, product coupon publishing/marketing firms and thelike) UPN/URL data link management operations will be carried out priorto print publication using distributed UPN/URL link management methods.

In the case of a newspaper or magazine publisher firm, each clientcomputer subsystem within a particular department (e.g. sports,international news, national news, local news, business, arts &entertainment, science & technology, etc.) as shown in FIG. 2D, would beprovided with one or more of the following software programs, namely:(i) computer-based publishing software having integrated UPN/URL datalink management capabilities; and (ii) UPN/URL management software inthe form of a stand-alone application or utility.

Operation of computer-based publishing software with integrated UPN/URLdata link management capabilities is shown in FIGS. 2E1 and 2E2. Ingeneral, this publishing software program has at least three modes ofoperation, namely: (1) a composition/editorial mode illustrated in FIG.2E 1, in which literary and graphical content can be composed and editedin much the same way as conventional word processing and graphicsprograms; (2) a UPN/URL data linking mode illustrated in FIG. 2E 2, inwhich the author/composer can create symbolic links between URL indexedsections of Web documents and UPN indexed sections of print-mediadocuments, using drag, drop and click procedures similar to those usedin conventional “flow charting” and graphics software programs; and (3)a UPN/URL data link table generation mode, in which a “UPN/URL data linktable” is generated for each corresponding set of Web and print-mediadocuments, as shown in FIG. 2E 3, and is electronically transportable tothe UPN/URL database management subsystem 9 hereof using electronic datainterchange techniques described in detail hereinabove.

In the first and second modes of operation, in a split-screen structure300 as shown in FIG. 2E 1 is displayed, wherein the first (e.g. left)side document frame 301 contains information relating to a particularWeb document and has an independent scroll bar 302 within a 304Bwindows-type GUI-based data structure, and wherein second (e.g. right)side document frame 303 contains information relating to a particularprint-media document and has an independent scroll bar 304 within awindows-type GUI-based data structure. By providing such a split-screendisplay screen GUIs in both of these modes of operation, the publishingsoftware program of the present invention enables the author toindependently scroll literary and graphical context in the Web documentframe 301 of the GUI, and the print-media document frame 303 thereof,thereby facilitating alignment of corresponding sections during both thecomposition/editorial mode of operation as well as during the UPN/URLdata linking mode of operation.

When in the composition/editorial mode, the publishing software programof the present invention enables the electronic layout of a Web-baseddocument or publication (e.g. expressible in HTML or SGML code) 300 inframe 301, and a print-media based document or publication (e.g.expressible in a desired font) in frame 303, as shown in FIG. 2E 1. Asshown therein, the Web-based document in frame 301 has different contentand advertising sections 306 and 308 associated with each Web-pagethereof and each such Web-page being located on the WWW at a particularURL. The print-media based document in frame 303 has different contentsections and advertising sections 310 and 312 associated with eachprinted-page thereof. As illustrated in FIGS. 2E1, each content sectionin the Web-based document is assigned a Universal Product Number (UPN)(i.e. UPN-encoded bar code symbol) which is symbolically linked orrelated to a particular content section on the corresponding Web-pagelocated at a specified URL. Likewise, each advertising section in theWeb-based document is assigned a Universal Product Number (UPN) which issymbolically linked or related to a particular advertising section onthe corresponding Web-page located at a specified URL. During thecomposition/editorial mode of operation, content in the Web andprint-media documents is displayable in the split-screen displaystructure 300, so that a particular content section in a Web document isdisplayed along side of the corresponding section in a print-mediadocument.

Typically, the author enters the a URL/UPN (or UPN/URL) data linkingmode of operation of the program, shown in FIG. 2E 2, after authoring orotherwise composing literary and/or graphic context within (i) aspecific content section on a particular Web document and (ii) acorresponding content section on a particular print-media document.While in this mode of operation, the author is able to create “UPN/URLdata links” between pairs of corresponding content sections, pairs ofcorresponding advertising sections, and/or pairs of content andadvertising sections. In accordance with the principles of the presentinvention, such UPN/URL data links are created by: (1) drawing graphicalboundaries around the content (or advertising) section on a particularWeb document using a mouse-pointing device and automatically assigningthereto a relative URL index 400 as shown in FIGS. 2E2 and 2E3; (2)drawing graphical boundaries around the corresponding content (oradvertising) section on the corresponding print-media document andautomatically assigning thereto a UPN (i.e. UPN-encoded bar code symbol)as shown in FIG. 2E 2 (e.g. obtained from the system administrator usingon-line or real-time UPN assignment methods implemented over theInternet); and (3) then drawing a graphical link between suchgraphically bounded sections between the Web and print-media documentsdisplayed in frames 301 and 303. During this mode of operation, theUPN/URL data links are graphically represented as double-arrow typelinks for the author to review, and are editable in much the same mannerthat such graphical elements are created and edited. However, whenreturning to the composition/editorial mode, such graphical links aresuppressed, and instead, alpha-numeric type UPN/URL links are displayedon the Web and print-media documents.

After the Web and print-media documents have been finalized and approvedfor publishing, the computer-based publishing program of the presentinvention enters the UPN/URL data link table generation mode, shown inFIG. 2E 3. In this mode, a UPN/URL data link table 400 is generated foreach corresponding set of Web and print-media document, as shown in FIG.2E 3. Thereafter, this data table is electronically transportable to theUPN/URL database management subsystem 9 hereof using electronic datainterchange techniques described in detail hereinabove. This ensuresthat the UPN/URL data links are stored in the UPN/URL databasemanagement subsystem 9 hereof so that when the UPNs (on publishedprint-media) are entered into the browser of a client subsystem 13hereof, pointing to a IPI Website of the present invention, thecorresponding URL or set thereof is automatically displayed thereon.

The above-described publishing software program will have great value inpublishing applications where both Web and print-media versions ofdocuments, articles and the like are simultaneously published on the WWWand in the world of print-media, as in the case of many newspapers,magazines, journals, subscriptions, product discount flyers, and thelike. In such instances, each publication will have numerous “Sections”or “Parts”, classified by the type of subject matter being addressed,and contributed to by authors and composers from categorically differentdepartments (e.g. business, sports, world news, local news, arts andentertainment, technology, etc.). Thus, in such instances, a “client”copy of the publishing program of the present invention discussed abovewill run on different client computing subsystems on the LAN or WAN ofthe publisher, as shown in FIG. 2D, while a “server” copy runs on atleast one client computing subsystem on the LAN or WAN. Such aclient-server solution enables an editorial manager to oversee theentire Web/print-media publication process, while individual writers arepermitted to labor on their literary and graphical art assignments,whatever they may be. In short, the novel publishing tools and methodsof the present invention have now made linking the worlds of electronicand print-media simple, efficient and reliable.

In some publishing applications such as coupons, books, financialinstruments, notes, product specifications, and the like, there is aneed for an alternative way of and means for creating UPN/URL data linksbetween the print-media and electronic media worlds, and automaticallygenerate UPN/URL data link tables for electronic transport to theUPN/URL database management subsystem 9. In this alternative embodimentof the present invention, shown in FIGS. 2E4 and 2E5, the way of andmeans for UPN/URL data linking is realized by an operating system (OS)based function that enables the author to generate “UPN/URL data linksbetween (i) Web documents authored using a first arbitrarycontent-creating browsing application (e.g. Netscape Navigator browser,HTML Editor program) running on a computing platform, and (ii)UPN-encoded elements of print-media authored using a second arbitrarycontent-creating/browsing application (e.g. Adobe® Illustrator drawingprogram or Microsoft Word® word processing program) running on the sameplatform.

In practice, such the UPN/URL data linking capabilities are integratedinto the multi-tasking and/or multi-threading operating system (OS)(e.g. MAC OS, Window 2000, MS NT, Linux, etc.) on the client computerused to run the first and second arbitrary content-creating/browsingapplications 330 and 332, shown in FIG. 2E 4. For illustrative purposes,the firs application 330 is the Netscape Navigator browser, whereas thesecond application 332 is the Adobe® Illustrator graphics program.UPN/URL data links produced from this OS-based UPN/URL data linkingfunctionality are stored in a UPN/URL data link GUI table 400 shown inFIG. 2E 4, and are electronically transportable to the UPN/URL databasemanagement subsystem 9 using electronic data interchange techniquesdescribed hereinabove. The end result of this OS-based UPN/URL datalinking function of the present invention is to enable consumers (e.g.readers) to create UPN/URL data links between print-media documents andcorresponding Web-based media documents, and also, to transport the sameto the UPN/URL database management subsystem 9 hereof.

In FIG. 2E 4, the OS-based UPN/URL data linking function (i.e. utility)is shown in its composition/editorial mode, wherein the GUI-based windowfor the first content creating/browsing application 330 is displayed onthe OS GUI, along with the GUI-based window for the second contentcreating/browsing application 332, and the GUI-based window for theUPN/URL Data Link Table/Palette 400.

In FIG. 2E 5, the OS-based UPN/URL data linking function (i.e. utility)is shown in its UPN/URL Data Linking Mode, wherein graphically expressedUPN/URL data links are created in a manner similar to that carried outin the first illustrative embodiment shown in FIGS. 2E1 through 2E3 anddescribed hereinabove.

In the UPN/URL data linking mode, the UPN/URL table is generated andelectronically transported to subsystem 9 hereof.

Preferably, the OS-based UPN/URL data linking utility of the presentinvention is launchable by selecting a command in a pull-down or likewindow provided on the OS GUI. Once this utility has been launched, thenits different modes of operation can be selected by a designated controlbutton provided on the windows-based GUI-structure for the UPN/URL.

Notably, by using the EDI-based UPN/URL data link management and servingtechniques of the present invention, described in great detailhereinabove, publishers of print-media based products can quickly updatethe UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9 to contain current UPN/URLlinks created only minutes before hand in the back-offices of thepublishing firm (e.g. just after final approval by the chief editorassigned to a particular print-media publication). This enablesconsumers to automatically link to related URLS at the time distributionof the print publication, using Web-enabled client subsystems 13 inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

These and all other such modifications and variations are deemed to bewithin the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by theaccompanying claims to Invention.

1. An Internet-based consumer product brand information management andcommunication system for use within the enterprise of a manufacturer ofconsumer products, said Internet-based consumer product brandinformation management and communication system comprising: a centralrelational database management system (RDBMS) for storing and managing(1) a plurality of universal product numbers (UPNs) assigned to aplurality of UPN-indexed consumer products manufactured by saidmanufacturer and registered with said central RDBMS by said manufacturerand/or its agent, (2) a trademark (TM) symbolically linked to each saidUPN, (3) a product descriptor (PD) symbolically linked to each said UPN,and (4) one or more uniform resource locators (URLs) symbolically linkedto each said UPN, each said URL specifying the location of one consumerproduct brand information resource located on the Internet and relatedto one of said plurality of UPN-indexed consumer products registeredwith said central RDBMS; wherein said central RDBMS maintains aUPN/TM/PD/URL data link record for each UPN-indexed consumer productregistered with said central RDBMS; said central RDBMS being operablyconnected to the infrastructure of the Internet, and storing andmanaging said UPN/TM/PD/URL data link records maintained for each saidUPN-indexed consumer product registered with said central RDBMS; a firstInternet-based information server operably connected to theinfrastructure of the Internet, for hosting and serving the plurality ofconsumer product brand information resources associated with each saidUPN-indexed consumer product registered within said central RDBMS; and afirst Internet-enabled database server operably connected to theinfrastructure of the Internet and also to said central RDBMS, forreceiving and servicing requests made by an Internet-enabled clientcomputer operated by a consumer, for consumer product brand informationresources on the Internet about at least one of said plurality ofUPN-indexed consumer products registered with said central RDBMS; asecond Internet-enabled information server operably connected to theinfrastructure of the Internet, for storing a Consumer ProductInformation Request (CPIR) enabling Servlet encoded with the UPN of eachsaid consumer product registered within said central RDBMS; a thirdInternet-enabled information server operably connected to theinfrastructure of the Internet, for serving a Web page having HTML code,within which a CPIR-enabling Servlet tag associated with saidCPIR-enabling Servlet is embedded; said Internet-enabled client computerhaving a Web browser program for producing a first Web-browser enabledgraphical user interface (GUI) for displaying said Web page with saidCPIR-enabling Servlet tag embedded therein; wherein, when said consumerclicks on said CPIR-enabling Servlet tag embedded within said Web page,(1) said CPIR-enabling Servlet associated with said CPIR-enablingServlet tag is automatically executed on said Internet, and a requestfor URLs relating to the UPN-indexed consumer product is automaticallycarried out against said first Internet-enabled database server operablyconnected to said central RDBMS; and (2) in response to said request,said CPIR-enabling Servlet automatically generates a second Web-browserenabled graphical user interface (GUI) on said Internet-enabled clientcomputer, for displaying said URLs accessed from said central RDBMS foraccess and use by said consumer.
 2. The Internet-based consumer productbrand information management and communication system of claim 1,wherein said CPIR-enabling Servlet tag is embedded within an image of aconsumer product in said Web page, and wherein said second Web-browserenabled GUI functions as a cyber-kiosk for accessing and deliveringconsumer product brand information at points of presence on the WorldWide Web (WWW).
 3. The Internet-based consumer product brand informationmanagement and delivery system of claim 1, which further comprises aWeb-based client computer for use by a brand management team member ofsaid manufacturer so as to access said central RDBMS by way of theInternet, and remotely manage the URLs symbolically linked to each saidUPN/TM/PD data string record stored within said central RDBMS.
 4. TheInternet-based consumer product brand information management anddelivery system of claim 1, wherein said brand-building consumer productinformation resources comprise rich-media information resources hostedon the Internet.